IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jresou/v14y2025i2p20-d1578436.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Beyond Energy Access: How Renewable Energy Fosters Resilience in Island Communities

Author

Listed:
  • Ravita D. Prasad

    (College of Engineering & Technical Vocational Education & Training, Fiji National University, Derrick Campus, Samabula, Suva P.O. Box 3722, Fiji)

  • Devesh A. Chand

    (College of Engineering & Technical Vocational Education & Training, Fiji National University, Derrick Campus, Samabula, Suva P.O. Box 3722, Fiji)

  • Semaan S. S. L. Lata

    (College of Engineering & Technical Vocational Education & Training, Fiji National University, Derrick Campus, Samabula, Suva P.O. Box 3722, Fiji)

  • Rayash S. Kumar

    (College of Engineering & Technical Vocational Education & Training, Fiji National University, Derrick Campus, Samabula, Suva P.O. Box 3722, Fiji)

Abstract

People, communities, and economies in small island developing states are extremely vulnerable to climate change, disasters, and other crises. Renewable energy can play an important part in building the resilience of these communities. Three case studies were conducted in Fiji (i.e., a grid-connected secondary school with roof-top solar PV and biogas, an off-grid community with solar home systems, and a farm that uses solar PV for irrigation) to demonstrate how renewable energy initiatives build community resilience. This study used the community resilience framework, RETScreen tool, information gathered from key informants’ interviews, and secondary data sources to conduct qualitative and quantitative analyses. It found that seven community assets, i.e., human, social, cultural, financial, natural, built, and political assets, are enhanced, leading to an increase in absorptive, adaptive, and transformative capacities for these communities. Furthermore, current research shows that human capital is one of the key instruments in the adoption of new innovative technologies. The results from this study can be used by decisionmakers to promote and implement similar technologies in communities, which not only provide clean electricity and clean cooking energy for climate change mitigation but also build community resilience.

Suggested Citation

  • Ravita D. Prasad & Devesh A. Chand & Semaan S. S. L. Lata & Rayash S. Kumar, 2025. "Beyond Energy Access: How Renewable Energy Fosters Resilience in Island Communities," Resources, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-34, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jresou:v:14:y:2025:i:2:p:20-:d:1578436
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/14/2/20/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/14/2/20/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Stephen Chitengi Sakapaji & Jorge García Molinos & Varvara Parilova & Tuyara Gavrilyeva & Natalia Yakovleva, 2024. "Navigating Legal and Regulatory Frameworks to Achieve the Resilience and Sustainability of Indigenous Socioecological Systems," Resources, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-24, April.
    2. Viliamu Iese & Anthony S. Kiem & Azarel Mariner & Philip Malsale & Tile Tofaeono & Dewi G.C. Kirono & Vanessa Round & Craig Heady & Robson Tigona & Filipe Veisa & Kisolel Posanau & Faapisa Aiono & Ali, 2021. "Historical and future drought impacts in the Pacific islands and atolls," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 166(1), pages 1-24, May.
    3. Bagheri, Mehdi & Delbari, Seyed Hamid & Pakzadmanesh, Mina & Kennedy, Christopher A., 2019. "City-integrated renewable energy design for low-carbon and climate-resilient communities," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 239(C), pages 1212-1225.
    4. Kenneth Pigg & Stephen P. Gasteyer & Kenneth E. Martin & Kari Keating & Godwin P. Apaliyah, 2013. "The Community Capitals Framework: an empirical examination of internal relationships," Community Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(4), pages 492-502, October.
    5. Nagisa Shiiba & Priyatma Singh & Dhrishna Charan & Kushaal Raj & Jack Stuart & Arpana Pratap & Miko Maekawa, 2023. "Climate change and coastal resiliency of Suva, Fiji: a holistic approach for measuring climate risk using the climate and ocean risk vulnerability index (CORVI)," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 28(2), pages 1-31, February.
    6. Rup Singh & Sumeet Lal & Mohsin Khan & Arvind Patel & Ronal Chand & Devendra Kumar Jain, 2022. "The COVID-19 experience in the Fiji Islands: some lessons for crisis management for small island developing states of the Pacific region and beyond," New Zealand Economic Papers, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(1), pages 67-72, January.
    7. Charani Shandiz, Saeid & Foliente, Greg & Rismanchi, Behzad & Wachtel, Amanda & Jeffers, Robert F., 2020. "Resilience framework and metrics for energy master planning of communities," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).
    8. Woolcock, Michael & Narayan, Deepa, 2000. "Social Capital: Implications for Development Theory, Research, and Policy," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 15(2), pages 225-249, August.
    9. Ibolya Török & Enikő Mátyus & Tihamér-Tibor Sebestyén & Carmen Păunescu & Kinga Xénia Havadi-Nagy, 2024. "Exploring Acceptance of Agro-Biomass as Innovative Solution for Heating in Rural Areas in Romania," Resources, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-16, October.
    10. Gjorgievski, Vladimir Z. & Cundeva, Snezana & Georghiou, George E., 2021. "Social arrangements, technical designs and impacts of energy communities: A review," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 169(C), pages 1138-1156.
    11. Georgios Martinopoulos & Alexandros Tsimpoukis & Vasileios Sougkakis & Petros Dallas & Komninos Angelakoglou & Paraskevi Giourka & Nikolaos Nikolopoulos, 2024. "A Comprehensive Approach to Nearly Zero Energy Buildings and Districts: Analysis of a Region Undergoing Energy Transition," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(22), pages 1-18, November.
    12. Dobrotkova, Zuzana & Surana, Kavita & Audinet, Pierre, 2018. "The price of solar energy: Comparing competitive auctions for utility-scale solar PV in developing countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 133-148.
    13. Batara Surya & Seri Suriani & Firman Menne & Herminawaty Abubakar & Muhammad Idris & Emil Salim Rasyidi & Hasanuddin Remmang, 2021. "Community Empowerment and Utilization of Renewable Energy: Entrepreneurial Perspective for Community Resilience Based on Sustainable Management of Slum Settlements in Makassar City, Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-36, March.
    14. Liu, Yang & Bah, Zainab, 2021. "Enabling development impact of solar mini-grids through the community engagement: Evidence from rural Sierra Leone," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    15. Brent Jacobs & Louise Boronyak-Vasco & Kristy Moyle & Peat Leith, 2016. "Ensuring Resilience of Natural Resources under Exposure to Extreme Climate Events," Resources, MDPI, vol. 5(2), pages 1-21, June.
    16. Hills, Jeremy M. & Μichalena, Evanthie & Chalvatzis, Konstantinos J., 2018. "Innovative technology in the Pacific: Building resilience for vulnerable communities," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 16-26.
    17. Li, Yang & Bu, Fanjin & Li, Yuanzheng & Long, Chao, 2023. "Optimal scheduling of island integrated energy systems considering multi-uncertainties and hydrothermal simultaneous transmission: A deep reinforcement learning approach," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 333(C).
    18. Jeremy Kohlitz & Joanne Chong & Juliet Willetts, 2020. "Rural Drinking Water Safety under Climate Change: The Importance of Addressing Physical, Social, and Environmental Dimensions," Resources, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-19, June.
    19. Suman, A., 2021. "Role of renewable energy technologies in climate change adaptation and mitigation: A brief review from Nepal," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mogues, Tewodaj & Carter, Michael R., 2003. "Social Capital and Incentive Compatibility: Modelling the Accumulation and Use of Social Collateral," Staff Paper Series 460, University of Wisconsin, Agricultural and Applied Economics.
    2. Mac Clay, Pablo & Börner, Jan & Sellare, Jorge, 2023. "Institutional and macroeconomic stability mediate the effect of auctions on renewable energy capacity," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    3. Dufhues, Thomas & Buchenrieder, Gertrud & Quoc, Hoang Dinh & Munkung, Nuchanata, 2011. "Social capital and loan repayment performance in Southeast Asia," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 40(5), pages 679-691.
    4. Mahto, Raj V. & Belousova, Olga & Ahluwalia, Saurabh, 2020. "Abundance – A new window on how disruptive innovation occurs," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    5. Østergaard, P.A. & Lund, H. & Thellufsen, J.Z. & Sorknæs, P. & Mathiesen, B.V., 2022. "Review and validation of EnergyPLAN," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    6. Pilar Useche, 2016. "Who Contributes to the Provision of Public Goods at the Community Level? The Case of Potable Water in Ghana," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 34(6), pages 869-888, November.
    7. Fox, Jonathan A, 2000. "The World Bank and social capital: Lessons from ten rural development projects in the Philippines and Mexico," Center for Global, International and Regional Studies, Working Paper Series qt1vj8v86j, Center for Global, International and Regional Studies, UC Santa Cruz.
    8. A. Arrighetti & G. Seravalli & G. Wolleb, 2001. "Social Capital, Institutions and Collective Action Between Firms," Economics Department Working Papers 2001-EP08, Department of Economics, Parma University (Italy).
    9. Giuseppina Guagnano & Elisabetta Santarelli & Isabella Santini, 2016. "Can Social Capital Affect Subjective Poverty in Europe? An Empirical Analysis Based on a Generalized Ordered Logit Model," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 128(2), pages 881-907, September.
    10. Yin, Linfei & Xiong, Yi, 2024. "Incremental learning user profile and deep reinforcement learning for managing building energy in heating water," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 313(C).
    11. Mavis Dako-Gyeke & Razak Oduro, 2013. "Effects of Household Size on Cash Transfer Utilization for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Rural Ghana," Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, Richtmann Publishing Ltd, vol. 2, March.
    12. Hansen, Benjamin & Sabia, Joseph J. & Rees, Daniel I., 2011. "Cigarette Taxes and the Social Market," IZA Discussion Papers 5580, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    13. Martin Gächter & David A. Savage & Benno Torgler, 2009. "Retaining the Thin Blue Line: What Shapes Workers' Intentions not to Quit the Current Work Environment," Working Papers 2010-05, Faculty of Economics and Statistics, Universität Innsbruck, revised Mar 2010.
    14. Kłoczko-Gajewska Anna, 2020. "Long-Term Impact of Closing Rural Schools on Local Social Capital: A Multiple-Case Study from Poland," European Countryside, Sciendo, vol. 12(4), pages 598-617, December.
    15. Utteeyo Dasgupta & Arjun Menon, 2011. "Trust and Trustworthiness among Economics Majors," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 31(4), pages 2799-2815.
    16. Dowling, Michael & O’Gorman, Colm & Puncheva, Petya & Vanwalleghem, Dieter, 2019. "Trust and SME attitudes towards equity financing across Europe," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 54(6), pages 1-1.
    17. Hong Sun & Valentina Hartarska & Lezhu Zhang & Denis Nadolnyak, 2018. "The Influence of Social Capital on Farm Household’s Borrowing Behavior in Rural China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-20, November.
    18. Waibel, Christoph & Evins, Ralph & Carmeliet, Jan, 2019. "Co-simulation and optimization of building geometry and multi-energy systems: Interdependencies in energy supply, energy demand and solar potentials," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 242(C), pages 1661-1682.
    19. Antoine Boche & Clément Foucher & Luiz Fernando Lavado Villa, 2022. "Understanding Microgrid Sustainability: A Systemic and Comprehensive Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-29, April.
    20. Mansoor Mustafa & Muhammad Omer Farooq Malik & Ahsen Maqsoom, 2024. "Barriers to Solar PV Adoption in Developing Countries: Multiple Regression and Analytical Hierarchy Process Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-19, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jresou:v:14:y:2025:i:2:p:20-:d:1578436. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.