Fixim Sola

Empowering communities to keep solar energy alive by turning repair skills into resilience, livelihoods, and long-term clean energy access.

Team Leader

Paul Munro

What is the name of your organization?

The University of New South Wales

What is the name of your solution?

Fixim Sola

Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.

Empowering communities to keep solar energy alive by turning repair skills into resilience, livelihoods, and long-term clean energy access.

In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?

Sydney

In what country is your solution team headquartered?

Australia

What type of organization is your solution team?

Nonprofit

Film your elevator pitch.

What specific problem are you solving?

In Vanuatu, over 65% of households rely on off-grid solar, yet 95% of systems are now failing prematurely due to poor product quality, no local repair capacity, and dispersed island geography. Tens of thousands of systems have become waste. This pattern repeats across the Pacific and rural Africa, affecting millions.

What is your solution?

Fixim Sola ("solar repair" in Bislama) is a three-tiered repair capacity program launched in Vanuatu in 2024 to address the reality that over 90% of broken solar products are repairable, yet most fail permanently due to absent local skills. At the national level, we strengthen the Vanuatu Institute of Technology as a solar repair training hub, embedding repair skills within renewable energy qualifications and linking government, industry, and education. At the provincial level, vocational training centres deliver intensive hands-on courses combining technical and business skills, with strong inclusion targets for women and people with disabilities. At the local level, solar repair education is introduced into schools, building foundational skills and pathways into vocational training and employment. Together, this model transforms solar repair from an external service into a locally sustained capability — extending system lifespans, reducing e-waste, and strengthening community energy resilience across Vanuatu and beyond.

Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?

Our solution serves remote communities across Vanuatu who rely on off-grid solar for lighting, communication, education, and businesses. In many islands, more than 95% of households depend on solar systems that are now failing prematurely. By building local repair capacity, we extend system lifespans, protect household investments, and ensure more reliable energy access. The solution also serves young people and vocational trainees. Through school programs and provincial training centers, students gain practical technical skills creating pathways into employment, entrepreneurship, and accredited qualifications, reducing reliance on foreign expertise. Women and people with disabilities are prioritized through explicit inclusion targets, expanding access to technical training in historically underrepresented sectors. At an institutional level, the program strengthens the Vanuatu Institute of Technology and government-industry-education partnerships, embedding long-term renewable energy capacity. The impact is systemic: reduced e-waste, lower household costs, and stronger local economies. The model is scalable across the Pacific and Africa.

Organization Type:
Nonprofit

Headquarters:
Sydney, Australia

Stage:
Pilot

Working In:
Vanuatu

Solution Website:
https://offgridsolarrepair.com/

Solution Team:

Paul Munro
Project Lead

Fixim Sola

Empowering communities to keep solar energy alive by turning repair skills into resilience, livelihoods, and long-term clean energy access.

The Problem

The Solution

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