Spain's El Hierro to become first 'green island'

 

El Hierro, the tiniest and most southerly of Spain's Canary Islands, is surrounded by no small amount of volcanic activity, but it's turning to the power of wind- and water-driven energy for 100% of its 10,000 inhabitants' needs.

In a move that would make it the world's first island to be fully self-sufficient, reports are that El Hierro will open up a five-turbine wind farm at the end of June. It's going to augment those turbines by using their surplus power to pump water from a harbor-level reservoir to a volcanic crater at 2,300 feet above sea level; on a wind-less day, water will stream downhill through turbines to generate electricity.

"This system guarantees us a supply of electricity," says the wind farm's director. Lauded as a "true novelty" by one expert, El Hierro is getting interest from officials in Aruba, Hawaii, Indonesia, and more. Its hybrid system guarantees "a stable production of electricity that comes 100% from renewable energy, overcoming the intermittent nature of the wind," says the expert. And while it's true that El Hierro is cutting the cord to any outside power network, it will maintain a oil power station-just in case.