Tuvalu is a Polynesian island country located in the Pacific Ocean, about 1,100 km north of Fiji. With a total land area of 26 km2, Tuvalu is spread over eight islands, the largest of which, Vaitupu, has an area of about 5.6 km2 while the smallest, Niulakita, has only 0.42 km2 of land. Tuvalu had a population of 11,192 in 2017. The capital is Funafuti and English and Tuvaluan are the official languages.

Tuvalu’s soil is low in fertility and only a narrow range of food plants can be supported. Climate change presents major challenges for Tuvalu since low-lying areas of land will be rapidly lost as sea levels rise.

The economy is constrained by the lack of economies of scale. The Government is the main employer, providing around 70% of salaried employment. The private sector consists mainly of small shops and service providers on Funafuti and traders of agricultural products from the outer islands. Government revenue comes primarily from the sale of foreign fishing licenses and from remittances of overseas residents and Tuvaluans working as seamen. The economy is also supported by development programmes and aid from international donor organizations from Japan, Australia, New Zealand.

Tuvalu has established a goal of reaching 100% electricity generation from renewable energy sources by 2020. It seeks to reach this goal through the development of solar and wind energy combined with energy efficiency measures.

Tuvalu’s solar resource potential is estimated to provide about 5.5 kWh/m2 /day, with the values being higher to the north and lower to the south of the country. Tuvalu was one of the first countries in the world to attempt rural electrification using solar PV. Grid-connected solar was first introduced by the e8 (an alliance of leading power utilities around the world) in 2008 with a 40-kilowatt peak (kWp) installation in Funafuti from Japan. Tuvalu’s long-term goal is to convert all outer island diesel generation to solar mini grids although funding is a challenge.