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Renewable energy the most economic choice for Tonga

Tonga’s renewable energy push Petroleum Economist 01 July 2013 Following rising oil costs, the Kingdom is looking to alternative energy to reduce its reliance on imports, writes Helen Robertson TONGA is facing an energy crisis as soaring oil-import bills are crippling its economy. The Kingdom is now looking to renewable energy to alleviate its oil dependency.

Tonga is made up of an archipelago of 176 islands in the South Pacific, around 2,000 kilometres northeast of New Zealand. Tonga is highly susceptible to both climate change and energy-price volatility because of its high dependency on imported oil. All of Tonga’s grid-supplied power, which makes up 98% of its total electricity, is generated using imported diesel.

According to the US Energy Information Administration Tonga imported around 1,240 barrels of oil per day (b/d) last year. This is up from around 780 b/d in 2002.

Although the small Kingdom, of around 100,000 people, is no energy-consuming powerhouse its dependency on oil is a huge economic stranglehold. Between 2005 and 2008 Tonga’s electricity generation costs increased by 106%...( subscribers only)  http://www.petroleum-economist.com/Article/3225512/Tongas-renewable-energy-push.html#ixzz2XvZJrWip

July 2, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general