El Hierro is a Spanish owned island, one of the Canary Islands, off the West Coast of Africa. It is 278.5 square kilometres and was formed approx 1.2 million years ago after three successive eruptions. The island emerged from the ocean with a triangle-shaped topped with a volcanic cone more than 2,000 metres high. Despite being formed as a result of volcanic activity, only one volcanic eruption has ever been recorded; in 1793 and lasting a month. In 2000, El Hierro was designated by UNESCO as biosphere reserve with 60% of its territory protected to preserve its natural and cultural diversity. It has some rare flora and fauna, including the El Hierro Giant Lizard, now critically endangered.
The island used to run on diesel fuel imported on ships but is now getting ready to be the only place to run on 100 percent renewable energy that hasn’t previously been hooked up to a power grid. The island supports over 11,000 people and it uses two hydroelectric plants and an 11.5 megawatt 5 turbine wind farm. They also have a water desalination plant for fresh drinking water. There’s more- it’s not just homes and businesses that will be powered by renewable energy, the islanders plan to use only electric cars by the year 2020. It is hoped that this renewable exclusivity will encourage more tourists to visit the island and see how a large community can create a totally renewable power system.
Five wind turbines create 11.5 MW of electricity. The system for storing power is ingenious. Surplus wind power will be stored by pumping water up 700 metres to fill the upper part of the crater of an extinct volcano. When winds are calm or when demand exceeds supply, water will be released from the crater to fill an artificial basin created at the bottom of the extinct volcano.
The Danish island, Samso, is also energy-independent, but was previously hooked up to the Danish grid and didn’t make the change in isolation, like El Hierro.
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