Milwaukee, WI, June 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In late spring, a significant event happened on a small Fijian island. The Pacific’s first all-female solar system installation team brought renewable energy to Ratu Naivalu Memorial, a primary school on Waya Island in Fiji’s Yasawa Group.
Over the course of seven days, a group of 10 engineering students from the University of the South Pacific, along with nine solar technicians from various Fiji solar businesses, installed solar panels and backup batteries, giving teachers and students in the remote location much-needed 24/7 power.
The school project was coordinated by It’s Time Foundation (ITF), an Australian-based nonprofit that delivers renewable power solutions to remote Pacific Island schools to transform education outcomes and reduce carbon emissions.
“Our aim with the female installation team was to strengthen visibility, capacity, confidence and leadership pathways for women in industries where they are traditionally underrepresented,” said Rob Edwards, founder of It’s Time Foundation. “Based on their experience with this project, we hope it will inspire some of the students to consider a career in the technical trades.”
Following the on-site installation, ITF arranged for the students to attend two significant events: a Women’s Leadership Capacity Building Workshop and the first day of the Sustainable Energy Industry Association of the Pacific Islands (SEAPI) conference. During the conference, ITF shared the Ratu Naivalu install with renewable energy leaders to encourage their support for increasing women’s representation in the trades.
“It was a joy sharing with and helping the students from the university. All of us working together was inspiring for everyone,” said Hepisipa Matekitonga, a solar technician with Clay Energy Fiji.
“I get very emotional about this because I’m so passionate about it. It was fantastic being part of the Pacific journey, shaping lives and making a difference every single day,” said Oliana Nayago, industry and community liaison officer, School of Information Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Physics, the University of the South Pacific.
Another female in the renewable energy space is Sequoya Cross, VP of energy storage for Briggs & Stratton Energy Solutions and a 20-year green energy veteran.
For the past seven years, ITF has partnered with Briggs & Stratton, installing hundreds of the company’s batteries around the Pacific.
“Education and outreach have always been important to me, especially in overlooked and underserved populations,” said Cross. “Encouraging more women to blaze a path in this dynamic industry is something that I’ll always champion. The ability to create energy access and stability in these regions with renewable energy is pivotal to the communities served.”
Fiji Island School Installs Continue
To date, ITF has installed a total of 32 renewable energy systems in Fiji and plans to install 40 more by the end of 2026. The ultimate goal is to deliver power to over 200 island schools.
“Many island schools struggle because they don’t have electricity or they rely on dirty diesel generators that they can barely afford to run a few hours a day,” said Edwards. “The kids have little or no chance of a modern education. With our partners, we provide clean, free electricity for lighting and computers to improve the education and life prospects for these kids. We also supply power to the teachers’ homes to enhance their families’ quality of life.”
Ratu Naivalu Memorial School has 121 students and seven teachers. Its campus includes four school buildings, 10 teachers’ homes and three hostels, where off-island students live during the week.
Those 17 buildings now have renewable power and connectivity. The ITF design has 18kW of solar, split between nine panels that are roof mounted and nine ground mounted so future expansion can be done more easily. The installation also includes six Briggs & Stratton SimpliPHI 6.6 batteries with nearly 40 kWh of storage.
“We’ve worked with Briggs & Stratton for about seven years, and this is the first time we’ve used their 6.6 batteries,” said Edwards. “Their new batteries make installation so much easier and that’s great news for our in-country installers who we rely on.”
In addition to the solar and backup power, ITF outfitted Ratu Naivalu Memorial with Starlink, laptops and smart TVs to maximize impact of the new 24-hour power that’s now available. The entire system was quality checked to Australia/New Zealand standards.
“24-hour power, lights, computers, smart TVs – it is a complete game changer for the students. Our teachers can finally deliver their professional skills to their maximum capacity,” said Timoci Cuva, director of Ratu Naivalu Memorial School. “You have no idea how much it matters to us and the communities on Waya Island.”
The money saved on generator fuel creates decades of cash flow, allowing the schools to buy computers and other desperately needed education resources. Most of the schools ITF is targeting have very few or no computers available for student use.
While the schools are not major emitters, the projects are helping the communities take diesel generators offline and reduce their carbon footprint.
“The school communities are proud of doing their part in the fight against climate change,” said Edwards. “The solar and battery system also provides an immediate and relevant opportunity for education about climate change, energy efficiency and sustainability.”
Avoiding Solar Litter
Since the systems require monitoring and on-going maintenance to ensure they function for decades, ITF established The Solar Fund (Fiji). As part of its commitment, the nonprofit has retained a solar/electrical contractor to monitor the sites, conduct preventive maintenance and respond to outages and other issues.
“We don’t want to swoop in one time to set up a system and then forget about it,” said Edwards. “We want to avoid the scenario where damaged and defunct equipment litters rooftops and the Fijian landscape.”
To keep costs down, schools are asked to supply local transport, meals, accommodation and labor for digging (if required) to support maintenance and repair visits. Not only does that reduce costs, it gives schools a stake in the maintenance process.
“We will be forever indebted to Briggs for their support from the early days of SimpliPHI. The support magnifies our capacity to make a difference,” said Edwards. “This charity game is a tough one and wonderful people, like the Briggs team, put a real spring in our step and a smile on our face because we are not out there doing it alone.”
To see the female installation team in action, watch this YouTube video. For more information about Its Time Foundation, itstime.org.au .
For more information on battery storage systems from Briggs & Stratton Energy Solutions, visit energy.briggsandstratton.com.
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About It’s Time Foundation
Its Time Foundation delivers renewable power solutions for remote Pacific Island schools, transforming education outcomes and reducing carbon emissions. Many island schools struggle with no electricity supply or rely on dirty diesel generators they can barely afford to run a couple of hours per day. The kids have little or no chance of a modern education. Its Time Foundation provides clean, free electricity for lighting and computers and transforms the education and prospects for these kids. The money saved on generator fuel creates decades of cash flow to buy computers and other desperately needed education resources. While the schools are not major emitters on a world scale, the projects are helping these communities take diesel generators offline and drastically reduce their carbon footprint. The school communities are proud of doing their part in the fight against climate change.
About Briggs & Stratton
Briggs & Stratton, headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, provides innovative products and diverse power solutions to help people get work done. Briggs & Stratton is the world’s largest producer of gasoline engines for outdoor power equipment and is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of turf care products, lithium-ion batteries, standby generators and energy storage systems through its Briggs & Stratton®, Vanguard®, Ferris®, Simplicity®, Snapper®, Billy Goat®, and Branco® brands. Briggs & Stratton products are designed, manufactured, marketed and serviced in over 100 countries on six continents.
- Briggs & Stratton provides discounted SimpliPHI 6.6 batteries
- It’s Time Foundation assembled an all-female team