Hydrogen Fuel Cells & The Pacific Islands

This report was prepared by Rupeni Mario. This paper is the result of discussions held during the Regional Energy Meeting (REM) 2000 and the SOPAC STAR Energy Working Group 2000 meeting which noted the need to provide technical information on “New Energy Technologies”, in particular, hydrogen fuel, ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) and space solar power generation. As Pacific island countries vary widely in terms of natural resource endowment and energy use patterns, they still remain heavily dependent on fossil fuels to meet their increasing energy needs. The relatively high costs associated with fossil fuels have encouraged research into indigenous resources as an alternative source of energy. However, the potential of indigenous resources is yet to be fully realised and exploited.