Tonga is a small island state in the  South Pacific Ocean. Its main exports include Cocnuts, Vanilla Beans, bananas and coffe beans, sold mainly to New Zealand and the U.S. In the past the country has tried to satisfy its energyThe ability to perform work, mainly kinetic, potential, thermal energy, but also in forms of gravitational, sound, elastic and electromagnetic energy. needs by drilling for natural oil in regions that experts didn’t regard as suitable. Fact is, electricityA form of energy having magnetic, radiant and chemical effects. Electric current is created by a flow of electrons. is still scarce in many of the state’s islands, and a number of them even lack basic electricity supply.

As electricity generation from fossil fuels is being more and more regarded as unreliable and increasingly expensive, the government of the constitutional monarchy has become interested in renewable energyRenewable energy is power generated from infinite sources, such as wind or solar power. Conventional energy is generated from finite sources, such as natural gas or fossil oil. solutions. The island has potential for on and off gridA grid is a network of transmission lines, usually to distribute electric power . technologies.

Tonga has set up an Energy Roadmap in partnership with IRENAMandated by governments worldwide, IRENA's (International Renewable Energy Agency) mission is to promote the widespread and increased adoption and sustainable use of all forms of renewable energy. IRENA's Member States pledge to advance renewables in their own national policies and programs, and ... and REEEPThe Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) is a non-profit, specialist change agent aiming to catalyse the market for renewable energy and energy efficiency, with a primary focus on emerging markets and developing countries., as well as many other organizations. The RoadmapA roadmap is a plan that matches short-term and long-term goals with specific technology solutions to help meet those goals. It is a plan that applies to a new product or process, or to an emerging technology Developing a roadmap has three major uses. It helps reach a consensus about a set of ... has two major objectives:

• 50% electricity from renewable sources by 2012
• 50% reduction of overall cost of electricity

Providing quality electricity options to outer island communities that are sustainable financially, environmentally and socially is the declared goal.

On the 22^nd of January the 3^rd preparatory Commission for the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) was held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The kingdom was represented by Prime Minister Feleti Sevele and a delegation of ministers. IRENA is keen to support Tonga on its way to transition via the Energy Roadmap 2010-2020. It is hoped that the roadmap will be used as a example for successful and innovative ways to establish renewable energy technology in developing countries.

Prime Minister Feleti Sevele, when given the opportunity, addressed the need to establish a credible and strong foundation for IRENA. Ms Helen Pelosse, Interim Director-General of IRENA, stressed the importance of renewable energy systemsRenewable energy is power generated from infinite sources, such as wind or solar power. Conventional energy is generated from finite sources, such as natural gas or fossil oil.  in order to mitigate climate changeClimate change is a lasting change in weather patterns over long periods of time. It can be a natural phenomena and and has occurred on Earth even before people inhabited it. Quite different is a current situation that is also referred to as climate change, anthropogenic climate change, or ..., and commended the hard work of member countries to establish the foundation for IRENA to take off. Mr. Feleti Sevele also mentioned the need for IRENA to establish a legal and institutional framework in line with international best practice and he confirmed Tonga’s continued support for IRENA.

In his conclusion Prime Minister Feleti Sevele appealed to delegates to ensure that the disappointment felt by small island states vulnerable to climateClimate is typically defined as the average weather (or more rigorously a statistical description of the average in terms of the mean and variability) over a period of time, usually 30 years. These quantities are most often surface variables such as temperature, precipitation, and wind. Climate ... change at the Climate Summit in Copenhagen was not carried through to this meeting.

Key donorsDonors help finance climate compatible development, explicit climate change measures to deal with adaptation and mitigation. For example US AID and the Asian Development Bank., such as IRENA, REEEP, World Bank, European Investment Bank and many more, have been signing up and supporting Tonga’s Roadmap since mid-2009, and it appears that the ambitious targets are really achievable. With the ongoing development and implementation of renewable energy and energy efficiencyUsing less energy/electricity to perform the same function. Programs designed to use electricity more efficiently - doing the same with less. technologies, Tonga will achieve its objective of reasonably priced, accessible and reliable powerUseful energy can be mechanical energy, for example powering a fan.. This will lead to increased economic growthIdeally, economic growth is decoupled from energy consumption. This can be achieved through different measures, one of them being energy efficiency or a shift towards less energy intensive sectors, such as services. and more wealth for the citizens of Tonga.

A successful demonstration of the implementation of a roadmap in order to achieve the transition to a new energy mix in developing nations could really be groundbreaking for many countries with similar needs!