The vast majority of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are net energy importers of fossil fuels and have historically been so (Timilsina & Shah, 2016; Niles & Lloyd, 2013). Being heavily economically indebted, fuel importation takes a decisive toll on national budgets – for example, Palau (28% of GDP), Guyana (21%) and Maldives (19%) (2013 data, Raghoo et al., 2018).