The Pacific Innovation Forum for Climate and Environment (PIFCE) 1st - 3rd July, 2026

Greentech Ltd

Brief overview

Greentech was established in 2007 as one of Vanuatu’s first renewable energy retailers and installers. Our founder, Eric Kerres, was also a founding member of the SEIAPI Association. The company supplies and installs solar systems ranging from small off-grid kits for remote islands to large commercial on-grid and off-grid PV systems. Greentech operates two branches in Vanuatu, located in Santo and Port Vila. Today, the family business is being continued and developed by Eric’s son, Charlie Kerres.

Your organisation’s goals

Renewable energy has, for the past decades, been closely linked to climate change mitigation and environmental protection by reducing reliance on fossil fuels.

Our products and services help communities, businesses, and individuals lower their CO₂ footprint while also providing reliable backup power when the grid is down, particularly during climate-related events.

The solar systems we supply to the islands also serve as a practical solution to bridge the gap in remote areas, where extending the grid would be prohibitively expensive. These systems provide immediate access to electricity while supporting long-term sustainable development.

Since the beginning of the year, Greentech has also become a member of the VRWMA Association, strengthening our commitment to responsible recycling and management of solar industry waste.

Over the past four years, Greentech has actively contributed to supporting the Vanuatu Government’s 2030 National Energy Roadmap, particularly in improving energy access and resilience while reducing dependence on fossil fuels. Through our work, we continue to expand the availability of reliable and sustainable solar solutions across Vanuatu.

Describe your innovation

Greentech has implemented a Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) solar solution designed to make clean energy accessible to all, particularly in remote and underserved communities across Vanuatu and the Pacific.

The main barrier to the widespread adoption of solar energy in Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) is the high upfront cost. PAYGO addresses this challenge by allowing customers to access solar systems with a low initial payment and flexible, incremental repayments. Through an in-house developed mobile application and energy management (ERM) platform, users can securely activate and manage their systems, even in areas with limited connectivity. The application is already available for download on the Android Play Store, ensuring easy access for users.

The ERM platform enables efficient system management by allowing us to manage customer accounts, automatically send activation codes and payment reminders, and track leases and usage remotely.

This innovation enables households and small businesses to meet essential energy needs such as lighting, phone charging, refrigeration for cold-chain storage, and small-scale e-mobility, without relying on diesel generators or costly grid extensions. By replacing fossil fuel-based energy sources, PAYGO systems directly contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving climate resilience.

PAYGO is particularly relevant for PICTs, where populations are dispersed across islands and infrastructure development is costly. It offers a scalable and financially inclusive solution that accelerates the transition to renewable energy while supporting economic development.

By removing financial barriers and enabling immediate access to clean energy, Greentech’s PAYGO model plays a key role in advancing sustainable electrification and climate action in the Pacific.

How is this solution is innovative?

Greentech’s PAYGO solution is innovative in how it removes the primary barrier to solar adoption in Vanuatu and the Pacific: upfront cost. Instead of requiring full payment at purchase, the system enables users to access energy services through small, flexible payments, making solar accessible beyond formally employed households to a wider population. The solution combines solar hardware with an in-house developed mobile application and an Energy Resource Management (ERM) platform.

This integration allows remote activation, secure access control, automated payment reminders, and real-time management of customer accounts and leases. It is designed to operate in low-connectivity environments, which is essential for remote island contexts. The model expands access to basic energy services such as lighting, phone charging, refrigeration for food preservation, and small-scale e-mobility. By improving affordability, it also supports local economic activity, enabling households to reduce transport costs and create small businesses. This approach is particularly suited to Pacific Island Countries and Territories, where populations are geographically dispersed and traditional infrastructure deployment is costly. By combining financing, technology, and energy access in a single system, PAYGO provides a practical and scalable pathway to increase renewable energy adoption while supporting social and economic resilience.

How can the innovation be replicated and scaled up in other PICTs?

Greentech’s PAYGO model can be replicated and scaled across other Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) through a combination of institutional partnerships, adaptable financing, and local capacity building.

At the institutional level, partnerships with governments, utilities, NGOs, and development agencies are key to supporting deployment, particularly in remote and underserved areas. These partners can facilitate community engagement, regulatory alignment, and co-financing mechanisms to accelerate adoption.

The financing model is inherently scalable, as PAYGO reduces the need for large upfront investments. It can be supported through blended finance approaches, including donor funding, concessional loans, and local microfinance institutions. This allows systems to be distributed widely while maintaining affordability for end users.

From a technical perspective, the solution relies on standardized solar systems combined with a digital platform (mobile app and ERM), which can be deployed in other regions with minimal adaptation. The system is designed to operate in low-connectivity environments, making it suitable for dispersed island geographies.

Capacity requirements include training local technicians for installation and maintenance, as well as onboarding local agents or partners to manage customer relationships and payments. This creates local employment while ensuring long-term sustainability of the model.

How is the solution cost‑effective and affordable in the context of Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs)?

Yes. The PAYGO model is designed to be cost-effective and affordable for end users in PICTs by removing the need for high upfront investment.

For households, communities, and MSMEs, the system is accessed through small, flexible payments aligned with local cash flows. This makes energy services available to users who may not have formal employment or access to traditional financing. Payments can be structured to match common spending patterns (e.g. daily or weekly energy expenses), making them comparable to or lower than existing costs such as kerosene, diesel, or transport for charging devices.

Over time, PAYGO systems reduce overall energy expenditure by replacing fossil fuel use with solar energy, while also providing more reliable service. For small businesses, access to affordable power enables income-generating activities such as refrigeration, phone charging services, and small-scale e-mobility, improving financial resilience.

From a local government perspective, the model reduces the need for heavy infrastructure investment in remote areas, offering a decentralized and scalable alternative to grid extension.

By combining affordability, flexibility, and long-term cost savings, the PAYGO solution is well adapted to the economic realities of Pacific Island communities while supporting sustainable energy access.

Locations (country, island, or community) where this solution has been piloted and/or implemented

Vanuatu with customers located in different islands of Vanuatu.

Abyss Vanuatu Ocean Institute

About

Abyss Vanuatu Ocean Institute (AVOI) is a science-led, community-driven initiative advancing marine restoration, climate resilience and sustainable blue economy development in Vanuatu. Through its Havannah Harbour pilot, AVOI integrates Reef Ball deployment, artificial reef design, drone-enabled monitoring and workforce training via the Vanuatu Ocean Rangers. The model combines innovation and local stewardship to restore ecosystems, strengthen biodiversity and support climate adaptation. By linking technology, community engagement and practical delivery, AVOI is developing a scalable national framework that helps translate ocean policy into measurable outcomes, creating jobs, building local capability and supporting long-term environmental resilience across island communities.

Abyss Vanuatu Ocean Institute (AVOI) delivers integrated, science-led services focused on marine restoration, climate resilience and sustainable environmental management. Its core services include the design and deployment of Reef Ball artificial reef systems and managed vessel reefs to restore degraded marine habitats, enhance biodiversity and support fisheries recovery. AVOI also provides drone-enabled monitoring and survey services, using autonomous and manned systems to track climate impacts, support conservation planning and improve data-driven decision-making across marine and coastal environments.

A central component is the development of the Vanuatu Ocean Rangers program, which builds local workforce capability in restoration, monitoring, conservation and environmental stewardship. AVOI also supports Marine Protected Area (MPA) design, ecological baseline assessments and long-term monitoring frameworks aligned with national ocean policy objectives.

Through community engagement, eco-tourism integration and applied innovation, AVOI connects environmental protection with economic opportunity. Its Havannah Harbour pilot serves as a scalable model to deliver practical climate adaptation, strengthen ecosystem resilience and enable coordinated, whole-of-government environmental outcomes across Vanuatu.

The Innovation

One of AVOI’s key innovations is the integration of the Vanuatu Ocean Ranger program with locally delivered marine restoration systems, including Reef Ball fabrication and deployment. This model combines workforce development, community engagement and practical restoration into a single, scalable framework designed for island environments.

Through structured Vanuatu Ocean Ranger Camps, over a 3 day period AVOI identifies and trains local Ni-Vanuatu participants in marine conservation, Scientific diving, restoration techniques, monitoring and stewardship. One aspect of the Rangers responsibilities is to support the fabrication and deployment of Reef Ball artificial reef systems using locally sourced materials and regional supply chains, significantly reducing costs and increasing local ownership. The approach enables degraded reef systems to be restored while simultaneously building in-country capability and employment pathways, guided by our National AVOI Play Book at its core.

This innovation directly addresses climate change by strengthening reef resilience, supporting fisheries recovery and enhancing coastal protection against storm surge and extreme weather events. It also improves ecosystem health, which is critical for food security and long-term adaptation in Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs).

What makes this model particularly relevant for PICTs is its practicality and scalability. It does not rely on high-cost external inputs but instead builds local capacity, integrates customary stewardship and aligns with government policy frameworks. The system can be replicated across islands using a consistent training, deployment and governance approach.

Supported by drone-enabled monitoring and AI self learning data collection, AVOI’s model provides a cost-effective, community-led solution that connects restoration, climate resilience and sustainable economic opportunity in a way that is both locally grounded and nationally scalable.

How is this solution innovative?

AVOI’s solution is innovative because it integrates community workforce development, marine restoration and applied technology into a single, scalable delivery model tailored for island environments. Rather than treating conservation, employment and climate adaptation as separate challenges, AVOI combines them through the Vanuatu Ocean Ranger program and locally delivered Reef Ball restoration systems. This creates a practical pathway where communities are directly trained and employed to restore and monitor their own marine ecosystems. The model also incorporates drone-enabled monitoring and emerging AI-supported survey systems to improve data collection, ecological tracking and rapid response capability, including in remote and disaster-affected areas. This blend of low-cost, locally sourced restoration methods with advanced monitoring technology allows for both accessibility and scientific rigour. What makes the approach particularly innovative is its focus on scalability and replication. By developing a standardised training, deployment and governance framework, AVOI provides a repeatable model based on a National AVOI Play book that can be adapted across Pacific Island Countries, helping translate policy into measurable, community-led climate and environmental outcomes.

How can the innovation be replicated and scaled up in other PICTs

AVOI’s model is designed for replication across Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) through a structured, partnership-driven and capacity-focused approach. Following an initial two-year proof-of-concept in Vanuatu, AVOI will develop a refined National PICT Playbook outlining standard operating procedures (SOPs) and safe work method statements (SWMS), delivered in both English and Bislama, with visual and pictorial elements to ensure accessibility across diverse communities.

Scaling will be enabled through institutional partnerships with government agencies, regional bodies, scientific partners such as UTS, and local stakeholders, supported by blended financing models including public-private partnerships, eco-tourism revenue streams and conservation funding.

A key component is the development of a simplified, citizen science-based survey framework focused on key indicator species. This approach lowers technical barriers, enabling participation from communities with varying levels of formal education while strengthening data collection and stewardship.

By combining local workforce training, accessible science, and standardised systems, AVOI creates a practical, low-cost model that can be adapted regionally, empowering communities while supporting climate resilience, biodiversity restoration and sustainable economic development across PICTs.

Is your solution cost‑effective and affordable in the context of Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs)?

AVOI’s solution is designed to be highly cost-effective and affordable for communities, local governments and small operators across PICTs. A core principle of the model is the use of locally available materials, including aggregates from regional quarries and, where appropriate, surplus or repurposed government materials. This significantly reduces construction and deployment costs for Reef Ball systems and associated infrastructure.

From an end-user perspective, the model lowers financial barriers by building local capability through the Vanuatu Ocean Ranger Camp Initiative and subsequent program, reducing reliance on external expertise and enabling communities to deliver and maintain restoration activities themselves. The integration of eco-tourism also creates revenue-generating opportunities that can help offset ongoing costs.

Affordability is further strengthened through the development of a streamlined cross-departmental approval pathway within the AVOI Playbook. By providing clear guidance on site selection, environmental considerations and standardised processes, local governments can reduce delays, duplication and administrative costs, enabling more efficient project delivery at scale.

Together, these elements create a low-cost, accessible and sustainable model that is practical for widespread adoption across PICTs.

Where is this being piloted?

AVOI’s solution is being piloted in Vanuatu, with Havannah Harbour (North-West Efate) identified as the primary proof-of-concept site, supported by a permanent operational and training hub at Lot 149, Lapita Estate. While over 1,000,000 Reef Balls have been deployed globally across more than 80 countries, this will be the first integrated deployment of this system in Vanuatu. The pilot combines initial baseline surveys across 12 regions using Reef Life Survey (RLS Methodology) prior to any deployments. Once 6 of the sites are selected for deployment we will deploy 50m x 10m of Reef Ball habitat restoration—designed as a 500+ year solution—, allowing us to. Continue to conduct 6 monthly replicated surveys in exactly the same 50m transects to demonstrate recruitment changes providing proof of concept. Together with the Vanuatu Ocean Ranger program, which trains and employs local Ni-Vanuatu to deliver restoration, monitoring and stewardship, supported by drone-enabled surveying, community engagement and eco-tourism integration. The approach is intentionally holistic, linking marine restoration, climate resilience, workforce development, local supply chains and government coordination into a single, place-based model. The Havannah Harbour pilot will be used to refine systems, demonstrate measurable outcomes and establish a scalable framework for national and regional replication across PICTs, through the development of our AVOI National Playbook, helping guide replication across all our satellite sites. Initial training will be conducted through AVOI Headquarters in Havannah Harbour, with Ranger selection conducted through a multi-day conservation camp where participant will all leave with new knowledge and appreciation for the terrestrial and marine environment, and Ocean Rangers selected for employment within the AVOI team at the conclusion of the camps.