To aid development of an important international partner in the South Pacific, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency is launching a project to help the island of Fiji bring electricity to its rural areas and to generate power from renewable energy sources by 2030. The initial work to be done in the Accelerating Solar Mini-Grid Deployment project in Fiji will be led by the Laboratory for Energy And Power Solutions, or LEAPS, directed by Nathan Johnson (second from right in photo), an assistant professor in The Polytechnic School, part of the Fulton Schools. LEAPS has conducted more than 100 mini-energy grid and micro-grid assessments in various countries, developing innovative approaches to engineering the grids and ensuring their long-term sustainability. A version of the article is also published in the Queen Creek Sun Times.