Vanuatu and the Ecologies of Solar Waste

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Abstract
In this chapter, we draw on recent empirical insights from surveys, interviews, and secondary data, to discuss the repair and waste implications of Vanuatu’s rapid adoption of off-grid solar products, emphasising this book’s theme on the ecologies of waste . The chapter starts by mapping the emergence and impressive growth of off-grid solar adoption in Vanuatu through international development interventions such as Lighting Vanuatu and the Vanuatu Rural Electrification Program I (VREP-I), before turning to the associated repair and waste challenges. These challenges in Vanuatu are situated both within the broader global context of the commodification of off-grid solar—yielding a dynamic that incentivises product replacement over repair—as well as the distinct challenges posed by the nation’s archipelago geography. The chapter illustrates the acute economic and logistical challenges associated with providing repair services and waste management infrastructure across Vanuatu’s over 60 inhabited islands, emphasising how underlying cycles of product obsolescence compel vulnerable communities to grapple with the dual challenges of maintaining energy access and managing harmful streams of waste.
Funding Information
  • University of New South Wales

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