In the Maldives, life is deeply connected to the environment. Nature has provided the country with matchless beauty, a rich sea life and a booming tourism industry, but climate change threatens to bring significant challenges. As one of the lowest lying countries in the world, the Maldives is realising the deep need for renewable energy and hopes to act as a role model for other countries, while at the same time reducing costs for national consumers.

Despite its small population, the Maldives has been a pioneer in advocating against climate change, and had a significant influence in the recent Paris Agreement as chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) in the UN. The country is also spearheading the promotion of renewable energy for small island states through the Initiative for Renewable Island Energy (IRIE).

"All nations and all leaders have to accept that it's their responsibility, take action to lower emissions and start using clean energy," says Minister of Environment and Energy Thoriq Ibrahim.

At home, the country has set the ambitious target of obtaining 30 percent of its daytime energy from renewable sources by the end of 2018. And the government hopes this will eventually become a cost-effective alternative to the Maldives' current reliance on conventional energy.

At the moment, the Maldives generates most of its power from imported diesel, which is expensive to burn and transport to the Maldives' spread-out islands and atolls. And with the country's economic boom, demand for energy has been skyrocketing as well. "Every five years it doubles," says Ahmed Zuhoor, CEO of Maldives' STELCO (State Electric Company Limited).

Now, the Maldives is actively seeking products and investments from abroad both in terms of renewable energy and energy-efficient products, on which there are no import duties. The country has already doubled its solar capacity since 2013 but the Maldives' land space is limited. That is why the government is focusing on continuing to add solar panels to more buildings (the Maldives was the first country in the world to put solar panels on the home of the head of state) and is especially interested in floating solar panel technology.

"I believe that one day in the future, the Maldives will be a place where energy is cheap, green and easily available," says Ibrahim.

The Maldives' cutting-edge tourism sector already provides an example of how renewable energy can be done right. In 2015, the five-star Club Med island resort in the Maldives became the first fully solar-powered luxury resort in the world, making solar panels look smarter than ever.