In 2023, fossil fuels supplied about 86% of Tonga’s electricity consumption, while low-carbon electricity accounted for the remaining 14%—roughly one-seventh. Solar provided all of this clean electricity. Tonga therefore still relies heavily on fossil fuels for electricity, leaving considerable room to expand solar and reduce the climate-changing emissions and air pollution associated with fossil generation.

Is Electricity Growing in Tonga?

Electricity consumption per person declined in 2023 rather than growing. It reached 669 kWh per person, down about 92 kWh, or roughly 12%, from the record set in 2022. Low-carbon electricity generation per person was essentially unchanged at about 96 kWh, compared with around 95 kWh in 2022; the supplied change rounds to zero. Maintaining clean electricity output is welcome, but this near-stagnation and the decline in overall electricity consumption per person are concerning when electrification and future demand call for more clean electricity.

Suggestions

Tonga can build on its existing solar contribution by expanding rooftop and larger-scale solar installations, supported by storage and grid improvements. Useful solar examples include Chile, where solar supplies about a quarter of electricity, and the US states of California and Nevada, where it provides roughly a third. Cape Verde offers a particularly relevant island example, generating about 14% of its electricity from wind; Tonga could assess suitable wind resources alongside solar expansion. Nuclear should also be considered in long-term clean-electricity planning, drawing lessons from France, where it supplies about two-thirds of electricity, and the United Arab Emirates, where it supplies a fifth. These examples demonstrate complementary paths toward substantially higher low-carbon electricity generation, with Tonga’s choices tailored to its electricity needs.

History

From 2017 through 2023, the supplied historical series records zero TWh of year-to-year change in solar electricity generation in every year. At the precision shown, there are therefore no distinguishable increases or declines across this period. These rounded figures do not mean Tonga generated no solar electricity: solar supplied about 14% of electricity in 2023. More detailed figures would be needed to identify smaller annual changes, but the reported history underscores the importance of accelerating measurable clean-electricity growth.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade