In a ceremony attended by 13 members of Vanuatu’s Government and in front of a 400-strong local crowd, Peter and his team were applauded for their work in installing a hydro-powered turbine system that will generate electrical power 24 hours, seven days a week.

It’s an achievement that has taken over two years to complete, involved a series of political negotiations to resolve a six-month delay at the country’s docks, and had to be worked around the locals’ ability to accumulate food supplies.

Nevertheless, Peter is adamant that ‘micro-hydro’ has the grunt to allow for real development.

“Between 70 and 85 per cent of Australia’s nearest northern neighbours have populations residing in rural areas,” Peter said.

“There is a desperate need to improve people’s lives through appropriate development. Run-of-river micro-hydro technologies, through appropriate implementation methods as undertaken by Pelena Energy, offer an energy source that is key to supporting other development goals of health, education, lighting, food security, and communication.”

Peter said traditional forms of electricity are geographically unfeasible or economically unsustainable for the villages and, “solar and wind are intermittent and require batteries for storage. Batteries are too expensive, resulting in many failed solar and wind systems throughout the Pacific and elsewhere unless heavily subsidised from outside the villages.”

Peter’s trip to the official ceremony revealed the infrastructure challenge that is part and parcel of the local’s daily experience. He travelled by aeroplane from Port Vila to the nearest airport on Amble Island, then onward to the village’s beachfront by fibreglass canoes after travelling the 19km across open-ocean. From there he took a muddy track from the beachfront to the turbine house that “tested my trekking skills”.

While various speeches marked the occasion, the delegation was also shown the operation of the Dorrigo built Pelena Energy turbine and control system. 

“Locally-trained technicians demonstrated their ability to restart the system and establish controlled power, frequency, and voltage outputs,” Peter said.

“And I can tell you cheers erupted as the system was started and the electric lights of the turbine house shone bright … then there was a rush to the power-points to recharge mobile phones!”

Peter believes this technology is not just appropriate for Vanuatu - it’s a way to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions and decrease reliance on fossil fuels.

He said the project in Vanuatu presented plenty of curve balls: “Horrendous weather events of cyclones, floods, and winds hampered the construction - it rained 14 out of every 15 days of the project’s construction phase.”

While this stage of the project is just the generation phase, Peter is hopeful Pelena Energy will be offered the contract for phase two – the connection of the electricity to almost 340 houses, schools, clinics, businesses, and churches.

“Stage two will see electrical components made in Dorrigo, shipped over and put together at the site,” Peter said.

“All up, it’s about 10km of high voltage electrical infrastructure and then the low voltage lines to homes and buildings.”

Moving forward, Peter and his team are looking at coconut oil as a means for those regions that do not have a viable water source for hydro-power. He also said that while the focus seems to be on developing countries, the local community, particularly farmers, could also benefit from Pelena Energy’s work.

“Farmers are desperate to see their electricity costs go down,” Peter said.

“And while we expect to gain further projects in PNG, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu in the near future, we’d love to see rural-focused technologies accepted and this would really spur us on to see the proposed Dorrigo Energy Centre become a reality.”

If Pelena Energy is successful in its bid for a phase two contract, it is hoped they will be able to provide further employment for shire residents.