Monitor
A retained solar and electrical contractor keeps watch over each system remotely, over the school’s Starlink connection, and carries out regular preventive maintenance.
Operations & maintenance
Built to last. Looked after for decades.
We set up The Solar Fund (Fiji) so every school system we install has the money, the people and the plan to keep it running.
Why it matters
Switching the lights on is only the start
Off-grid solar is a simple, reliable and clean way to power a remote school. But a system on an island hours from the nearest town still needs to be checked, serviced and sometimes repaired if it’s going to work for decades.
Without a plan for that care, one fault can leave a school back in the dark, or back on an expensive diesel generator. We didn’t want that for any school we power.
The Solar Fund (Fiji)
A fund to keep every system running
In 2024 we established The Solar Fund (Fiji), a protected fund that pays for and oversees the maintenance of remote school solar systems across Fiji.
It's guided by an experienced board and advisors, and it builds up reserves so repairs can be paid for quickly when something goes wrong.
Respond
When there’s an outage or a fault, the contractor responds and the fund pays for the repair, without waiting on a new round of fundraising.
Recover
After a cyclone, the fund and ITF work to get power back with temporary measures, and help the school find funding for major repairs.
Schools play their part
Each school helps look after its own system. Schools follow care guidelines and provide term reports back through the ITF Hub system. They support maintenance visits with local transport, meals, accommodation and, where needed, labour for digging. That keeps costs down and gives every school real ownership of its power.
Funding
Funded from day one
Having the fund in place means that from the moment a school system is switched on, its ongoing maintenance and care is assured.
The fund's reserves come from four sources:
Project donors
Alongside each installation, donors set aside an extra amount for long-term maintenance, currently A$10,000 per school.
Schools
Each school makes a modest ongoing contribution, made affordable by what it no longer spends on generator fuel.
Teachers
Teachers chip in a small amount for their 24-hour power.
Interest
Our goal is that the fund will be large enough that its earned interest (plus school contributions) will pay for repairs while the capital is untouched.
Every contribution goes to keeping systems running. No one receives a return.
Accountability
Open by design
The Solar Fund (Fiji) is registered in Fiji and run under a board charter, with published policies on finance, operations, child protection, safeguarding, workplace safety, privacy and complaints. It has also published a guide for anyone who wants to set up a similar fund elsewhere.
The establishment of The Solar Fund (Fiji) was funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Business Partnerships Platform. The platform’s manager, The Palladium Group, helped develop the fund’s model.
Find out more
Meet the fund’s team, read its policies and governance documents, or get in touch through its own website.
Power a school. Keep it powered.
Every installation we fund comes with money set aside for its care. Your donation helps light the next school, and keep it lit.
Donate