Inhabitants of the smallest of the Canary islands tame the elements to generate renewable energy
The name El Hierro means "island of fire", a reminder of its volcanic past, but there is no sign of any ore here. There is plenty of wind and water though, and the combined forces of the two will soon be providing an abundant supply of energy for the smallest (278 sq km) of the Canary islands. It will be the first to generate all its electricity from renewable sources.
The people of El Hierro are used to the wind, which has shaped the landscape with its steep cliffs, its tireless gusts bending trees and bushes. It brings rain too, sufficient to sustain the 10,700 inhabitants, their livestock and fertile fields. Now they are learning to tame the wind.
In a few months a wind farm comprising five turbines, with an output totalling 11.5MW, will be installed at the north-eastern tip of the island, near Valverde, the main settlement. Some of the electricity will go into the mains network; the rest will be used to pump water from a 150,000 cubic metre reservoir being built near the harbour. The energy will raise the water to a much larger reservoir (550,000 cubic metres) at an elevation of 700 metres, which is housed in a caldera, a volcanic crater.
Three kilometres of pipes will connect the two reservoirs. If the wind drops, water will be released at the top to drive six hydraulic turbines (11.3 MW). By combining water and wind these naturally fluctuating energy sources can deliver a continuous supply of electricity.
"The project started 25 years ago. During all that time we have struggled to convince the local authorities, the Spanish government and the European commission," says Tom�s Padr�n, the leader of the island council and head of Gorona del Viento El Hierro, the wind farm's main operator alongside the Spanish utility Endesa and the Canarias Technology Institute (ITC).
Its small size and limited demand made the island an ideal location for such an experiment. "Now, we are cited as an example," says a beaming Padr�n. "We are the little seed which sprouted in the renewable energy desert."
In itself, there is nothing revolutionary about pumped-storage hydroelectricity. Morocco has already built one facility and is about to launch another project near Agadir. The Grand'Maison dam in the French Alps, operates along similar lines. But El Hierro is the first major scheme not to use conventionally generated electricity. Ultimately it should make the island self- sufficient in energy.
It is certainly big enough. The scheme's specifications will generate three times the island's basic demands ? for permanent residents, farming co-operatives, fruit and fish canneries ? leaving some leeway to cater for the 60,000 tourists who visit El Hierro every year. Surplus output will power three desalination plants, delivering 11,000 cubic metres of water a day, enough to cover part of the irrigation needs.
The construction work is almost complete. "After a trial period at the end of 2011 the system should come online in 2012," Padr�n said.
El Hierro will be able to shut down the oil-fired power station on which it currently relies for electricity. It will save 6,000 tonnes of fossil fuel a year, all delivered by boat, and reduce emissions, in particular 18,000 tonnes of CO2.
But this green energy comes at a price. The whole project represents an investment of ?65m ($93m), just over half of which was funded by Madrid. But long-term economic gains will augment the immediate environmental benefit, according to Javier Morales, the deputy leader of the Canarias council tasked with sustainable development. "Once the investment has been paid off, sales of electricity will earn ?9m a year," he reckons. "Even allowing for upkeep and replacement of the machinery, that leaves plenty of money that can be ploughed back into the local economy."
And it is only the first step. "Our next goal," Morales adds, "is to replace the island's 6,000 cars with electric vehicles." This would cost another ?65m to cover infrastructure (storage systems for charging terminals) and individual subsidies for the purchase of vehicles. Again, it makes sense economically and environmentally: "If we sell car drivers electricity at the same price as petrol, we can recoup the investment in 10 years."
The project's financial viability helped convince local people, but they have other motives too. A 60-year-old, who came home to run a hotel after working in Australia, said: "It won't make any difference to our electricity bill, but it's good for the environment ... and great publicity."
Nature is the island's only asset so conservation is an integral part of local culture. In 2000 Unesco made El Hierro a biosphere reserve, on account of its setting and the rich diversity of flora and fauna. This meant that the wind farm had to meet certain requirements: the site is exposed to the prevailing wind but well out of sight, and all the pipes were either painted camouflage green or buried.
"For a sustainable development project you have to think globally," Morales says. "We want to make allowance for nature, people and the island's development."
This article originally appeared in Le Monde
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/apr/19/canary-island-renewable-energy-lehir
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