Since switching to a solar-hybrid system a year ago, Good Samaritan Hospital is delivering reliable 24/7 healthcare for families across Solomon Islands’ Guadalcanal province with fuel savings already funding new health services.
Thanks to a partnership between Superfly Limited, the Good Samaritan Hospital and the Australian Government through the Business Partnerships Platform (BPP), the hospital is delivering a cleaner, greener and more resilient healthcare system for the 43,000+ people it serves, including more than 21,500 women who rely on maternity, child and other health services.
The impact after 12 months has been significant, with 97.3% of the hospital’s energy needs now supplied by solar, enabling hundreds of patients to be treated safely at night with reliable power. The shift has saved 19,000 litres of diesel, cutting costs and avoiding 51 tonnes of CO₂ emissions.
Savings from reduced fuel costs are already being reinvested back into healthcare. A new extension for non-communicable disease foot care has opened and a small eye clinic is planned for the coming months. These services that would not have been possible without the shift to solar.
“Families across Guadalcanal now know they have a hospital they can rely on for 24/7 care, powered by clean energy,” said Sister Daly from Good Samaritan Hospital. “We’re welcoming more community members than ever before, while reinvesting money saved from fuel into better services and equipment.”
This was the very first BPP Off-Grid Renewable Energy Partnerships project to launch - and the first to be completed - not only in Solomon Islands but across the Pacific and Timor-Leste.
The project is part of the Pacific Climate Infrastructure Financing Partnership (PCIFP), which expands the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP) to grow Australia’s climate investments and support Solomon Islands to reach its goal of 100% renewable energy by 2050.
The innovative hybrid solar-battery-diesel system is a solution for reliable, cheap power for remote infrastructure.
The unveiling of the Good Samaritan Hospital Solar Hybrid Power System.
The Hon. Dr Paul Popora Bosawai, Minister of Health and Medical Services; the Hon. Willie Atu, Premier of Guadalcanal Province; Ms Lindsay Buckingham, Minister-Counsellor Australian High Commission; and Sister Daliborka Rojo, Good Samaritan Hospital Administrator officially opening the battery house for the 70kW solar and 225kWh Battery Energy Storage System installed by Superfly Limited at Good Samaritan Hospital.