generation and transport.A switch to renewable energy,in particular for power generation,would not only improve PICs' environmental performance,but also help to reduce expensive imports and reduce vulnerability to price volatility and insecure fuel supply.Accordingly,most PICs have put forward ambitious renewable energy goals;the Cook Islands,Niue and Tuvalu,for instance,all aspire to have 100 percent renewable electricity by 2020([3,4];see also Table 2).
For the PICs to reach these goals,however,they depend on external funding and aid.Renewable energy technologies typically require high upfront capital,which governments and households lack across the PICs. Donor support is thus central.But how has energy-related aid to the Pacific developed overtime?This paper
takes a closer look at data on energy-related aid from the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD) Credit Reporting System(CRS) from 1990 through 2012.After an overview of the present(renewable)energy landscape in PICs, the paper examines where energy-related aid is flowing to,in terms of
renewable energy technology,grid vs.off-grid solutions,and project components.The results indicate a shift in energy-related aid over the past years:toward renewable energy,toward off-grid solutions and toward policy-making and capacity-building.Much remains to be done;yet,if the Pacific island countries,together with the donors,continue to pay attention to different renewable energy technologies,rural electrification, and ‘software',they can reach their renewable energy goals – and serve as an example for other countries,in the Pacific and beyond.