Salialevu Primary School

Salialevu Primary School is on Taveuni. Before solar, its small generator ran on school days when needed, and for an average of three hours in the evening to power the teachers' homes. The rest of the time, and whenever fuel ran low, the teachers used kerosene lanterns.

The small 2 kW system we installed in 2015 served the school well. It saved about FJ$3,200 a year on fuel, kerosene and transport, and the school put that money into computer learning.

In 2016 Tropical Cyclone Winston badly damaged the school. The equipment largely survived, but the rebuild left the ground-mounted array in a very awkward position, so in 2023 we installed new panels on the roof and new lithium batteries. The system is now part of The Solar Fund (Fiji), which monitors it and pays for its servicing and repairs.

The original project was funded in 2015 by the Rotary Club of Taveuni, the Middendorp Foundation, the Whitelaw family and a range of other donors – you know who you are.