15 Aug 2012

Fiji villages hook up to solar power

2:29 pm on 15 August 2012

Villages in Fiji's northern division now have access to solar power funded by the Japanese government.

Fiji's Department of Energy says it has installed 2400 solar home systems at a cost of nearly three million US dollars.

It says the villages including Cawaro, Vunikodi, Druadrua and Qaranivai now have systems in place and work will begin soon on bringing solar power to villages in the Lau group.

Japan has provided four million US dollars through the Pacific Environment Community Fund to provide people in 41 villages around Fiji with power from solar panels.

The 66 million US dollar fund was launched three years ago to bring solar power and desalination plants to most Pacific Island countries, whose governments are charged with implementing the fund.