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

Scinergy Pacific International Ltd

Brief overview

Scinergy Pacific is a Pacific-based, multidisciplinary consultancy specialising in renewable energy systems, engineering, and project delivery across island contexts. Headquartered in Suva, Fiji and branch office in Vanuatu, the firm focuses on supporting governments, utilities, and development partners with policy advisory, technical planning, and data-driven energy solutions. Its work spans grid integration, capacity development, and sustainable infrastructure, with a strong emphasis on locally led, context-specific approaches. Drawing on deep regional expertise, Scinergy Pacific delivers practical, implementation-focused solutions that enable resilient, low-carbon energy transitions across Pacific Island countries and other small island developing states.

Your organisation’s goals

Scinergy Pacific delivers specialised services that directly support climate change mitigation, adaptation, and environmental sustainability across Pacific Island countries. The firm undertakes renewable energy planning and deployment, including solar PV, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and hybrid mini-grid solutions, enabling the transition away from diesel-based generation and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Its core services include grid readiness assessments, grid impact studies, and power system modelling to ensure reliable integration of variable renewable energy while maintaining system stability and resilience. Scinergy also provides Owner’s Engineer and technical advisory services across the full project lifecycle—from feasibility and design to procurement, construction oversight, and commissioning—ensuring environmental and technical compliance with international standards.

In addition, the firm supports climate-resilient infrastructure planning, incorporating environmental considerations such as extreme weather risks, sea-level rise, and resource sustainability. Scinergy contributes to policy development, institutional strengthening, and capacity building within energy ministries and utilities, embedding long-term capability for sustainable energy management. Through data-driven analysis and regionally contextualised solutions, Scinergy Pacific enables practical, scalable pathways toward low-carbon, climate-resilient energy systems.

Describe your innovation

One key innovation implemented by Scinergy Pacific is the use of **open-source capacity expansion modelling**, primarily leveraging tools such as PyPSA, to support long-term energy planning and climate-aligned investment decisions in Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs).

This approach enables the development of least-cost, optimised energy pathways that prioritise renewable energy deployment—such as solar PV and battery energy storage systems (BESS)—while systematically reducing reliance on diesel-based generation. By simulating multiple future scenarios, including high renewable penetration, demand growth, and climate-related risks, the modelling directly supports greenhouse gas emission reductions and enhances energy system resilience to climate variability and extreme weather events.

The innovation is particularly relevant to PICTs due to their unique constraints: small, isolated grids; high dependence on imported fossil fuels; limited technical capacity; and vulnerability to climate change. Scinergy’s use of open-source platforms ensures that models are not “black boxes,” but instead transparent, adaptable, and transferable to local institutions. This allows utilities and energy ministries to actively engage with the modelling process, update assumptions, and continuously refine their planning strategies without reliance on expensive proprietary software.

Importantly, Scinergy embeds this capability within national institutions through hands-on training and capacity development, enabling local engineers and planners to independently run and interpret scenarios. This fosters long-term ownership and strengthens institutional capacity for evidence-based decision-making.

By combining rigorous technical analysis with accessibility and local empowerment, this innovation transforms energy planning from a one-off exercise into a **dynamic, data-driven process**, directly supporting sustainable, low-carbon, and climate-resilient energy transitions across the Pacific.

How is this solution is innovative?

Scinergy Pacific’s solution is innovative because it combines open-source capacity expansion modelling with embedded, hands-on capacity building—transforming energy planning from a one-off, consultant-led exercise into a continuous, locally owned capability. Using tools such as PyPSA, the approach replaces traditional “black-box” proprietary models with transparent, adaptable platforms that utilities and governments can directly access, modify, and maintain. The innovation lies not only in the technology, but in the delivery model. Scinergy integrates detailed power system constraints—such as grid stability, reserve requirements, and renewable intermittency—into long-term planning, ensuring outputs are both technically robust and investment-ready. At the same time, the models are structured to be practical and usable within Pacific institutions, with tailored training and simplified interfaces that enable local engineers to run scenarios independently. This dual focus on technical depth and accessibility is particularly novel in Pacific contexts, where planning tools are often either too simplistic or too complex to sustain. By embedding modelling capability within national agencies, the solution enables ongoing scenario testing, adaptive planning, and stronger alignment between policy, infrastructure investment, and climate goals—supporting a scalable and self-sustaining transition to low-carbon energy systems.

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

The innovation can be replicated and scaled across Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) through a structured combination of institutional partnerships, modular deployment, and targeted capacity building. Scinergy Pacific’s approach—using open-source tools such as PyPSA—is inherently transferable, as it avoids licensing barriers and allows models to be adapted to different island contexts with minimal cost.

At the institutional level, replication is best achieved by embedding the modelling capability within national energy ministries and utilities, supported by regional organisations such as Pacific Power Association and Pacific Community. These partnerships can provide coordination, standardised frameworks, and knowledge sharing across countries. A “hub-and-spoke” model—where a central regional technical team supports multiple countries—can accelerate rollout while maintaining consistency.

From a financing perspective, development partners (e.g. Asian Development Bank) can fund initial model development, training, and integration into national planning processes as part of broader energy transition or climate resilience programs. Over time, costs reduce significantly as local capacity strengthens and models are reused and refined.

Capacity requirements are addressed through phased training—starting with core technical teams, followed by wider institutional adoption—ensuring sustainability. By combining open-source tools, regional collaboration, and embedded training, the innovation can scale efficiently while building long-term, locally owned planning capability across the Pacific.

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

Scinergy Pacific’s solution is designed to be highly cost-effective and affordable, particularly when assessed from the perspective of end users such as communities, MSMEs, and local governments. By using open-source tools like PyPSA, the approach avoids expensive software licensing costs, significantly reducing upfront and ongoing expenditure for governments and utilities.

More importantly, the modelling directly informs least-cost energy pathways, prioritising renewable energy and optimised system design. This reduces reliance on imported diesel fuel—one of the largest cost drivers in PICT electricity systems—leading to lower generation costs over time. These savings can translate into more stable or reduced electricity tariffs for consumers, improving affordability for households and small businesses.

For local governments and project developers, the solution enhances investment efficiency by identifying the right projects, at the right scale, in the right locations—minimising costly design errors and underperforming assets. It also strengthens access to concessional climate finance by providing robust, data-driven evidence to support funding proposals.

By embedding capacity within local institutions, the solution further reduces long-term reliance on external consultants, lowering recurring costs. Overall, it delivers both immediate cost savings and sustained affordability benefits, while supporting a transition to cleaner, more resilient energy systems.

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

Open-source capacity expansion modelling solution has been piloted and implemented in Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands, with applications tailored to national and island-level energy planning contexts. In Vanuatu, the approach has been applied to support power system planning and renewable energy integration, including scenario modelling for grids such as Efate. The work has focused on assessing optimal pathways for integrating solar PV and battery energy storage systems (BESS), while maintaining grid stability and reliability under increasing renewable penetration and climate-related risks. In the Solomon Islands, the solution has been used to inform strategic energy planning and electrification pathways, supporting government stakeholders in evaluating least-cost expansion options and strengthening institutional planning capability. This includes aligning infrastructure investments with long-term energy transition objectives and improving coordination with development partners. Across both contexts, the solution has been implemented in close collaboration with national utilities and energy ministries, with a strong emphasis on capacity building and knowledge transfer. This ensures that local teams are equipped to continue using and updating the models, supporting ongoing, data-driven decision-making and long-term sustainability.

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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.