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| Wind turbines are pictured near the upper reservoir of the Gorona power station on El Hierro island on March 28, 2014 |
The
smallest and least known of Spain's Canary Islands, El Hierro, is making a
splash by becoming the first island in the world fully energy self-sufficient
through combined water and wind power.
A wind farm
opening at the end of June will turn into electricity the gusts that rake the
steep cliffs and green mountains of the volcanic island off the Atlantic coast
of Africa.
Its five
turbines installed at the northeastern tip of El Hierro near the capital
Valverde will have a total output of 11.5 megawatts -- more than enough power
to meet the demand of the island's roughly 10,000 residents and its
energy-hungry water desalination plants.
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The lower
reservoir and hydropower station
at the Gorona power station on El Hierro
island on March 28, 2014. (Photo by
Desiree Martin/ AFP)
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Although
other islands around the world are powered by solar or wind energy, experts say
El Hierro is the first to secure a constant supply of electricity by combining
wind and water power and with no connection to any outside electricity network.
Surplus
power from the wind turbines will be used to pump fresh water from a reservoir
near the harbour to a larger one at volcanic crater located about 700 metres
(2,300 feet) above sea level.
When there
is little or no wind, the water will be channelled down to the lower reservoir
through turbines to generate electricity in turn.
"This
system guarantees us a supply of electricity," said the director of the
Gorona del Viento wind power plant, Juan Manuel Quintero who is supervising
final tests before the plant starts functioning in a few weeks.
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Emplyees
work in the pump room at
the Gorona power station on El Hierro
\ island on March
28, 2014. (Photo by
Desiree Martin/ AFP)
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The scheme
will cut carbon dioxide emissions by 18,700 tonnes per year and eliminate the
island's annual consumption of 40,000 barrels of oil.
El Hierro
will maintain its fuel oil power station as a back up, just in case.
'World
pioneer'
The island
is cited as a pioneering project by IRENA, the international organisation for
renewable energy, and other experts such as Alain Gioda, a climate historian at
France IRD science research institute.
"The
true novelty of El Hierro is that technicians have managed, without being
connected to any national network, to guarantee a stable production of
electricity, that comes 100 percent from renewable energy, overcoming the
intermittent nature of the wind," he said.
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A
Turbogenerator set (L) and a lubrication
(blue) at the Gorona power station on
El Hierro island on March 28, 2014.
(Photo by Desiree Martin/ AFP)
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Officials
from Aruba, Hawaii, Samso in Denmark, Oki in Japan, and Indonesia have all
shown interest.
"It is
a project which is considered at the world level as a pioneer and it is one of
the most important in the production of renewable energy," said the
president of island's local council, Alpidio Armas.
"El
Hierro can be a sort of laboratory," he added, providing an example to
other islands around the world which are home to around 600 million people.
El Hierro,
the westernmost of Spain's Canary Islands, has also been invited to present its
project at several international conferences, including in Malta and South
Korea.
Electric
vehicles
El Hierro
wants to extend its environmental credentials even further by ensuring that by
2020 all of its 6,000 vehicles are run on electricity thanks to an agreement
with the Renault-Nissan alliance.
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A
recharging point for electric vehicles at
the Gorona power station on El Hierro
island on March 28, 2014. (Photo by
Desiree Martin/ AFP)
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The island
authorities own 60 percent of the plant, with 30 percent held by Spanish energy
company Endesa -- a subsidiary of Italian group Enel -- and 10 percent by a
local technology institute.
"We
wanted to be the owners of the majority of the plant. That means that the
profits as well as the possible losses, that is the destiny of Gorona del
Viento, is the responsibility of the residents of the island," said Armas.
Revenues
from the plant will boost the island's budget by about one to three million
euros per year, he said.
"These
are revenues that can go to the local residents, to subsidise water prices,
infrastructure, social policies," he said.
El Hierro,
designated by UNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve with 60 percent of its territory of
278 square kilometres (107 square miles) protected to preserve its natural
diversity, also hopes its green energy drive will draw visitors interested in
nature and science.
"We
cannot turn down the benefits that tourism brings, but we don't want mass
tourism," said Armas.
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