El Hierro, the smallest island of the Canaries, is staging one of the most ambitious island projects regarding energy self-sufficiency through the use of renewable energies. In a few years, El Hierro will become one of the first islands in the world to meet its energy demand using RES (Renewable Energy Sources).

The project, which is budgeted at 54.3 million €, is based on a system of hydro-wind power, where a 10 megawatt wind farm will be linked up to two water deposits: the largest of them, with capacity to hold 500,000 cubic metres, is to be built in the crater of an inactive volcano.

The electricity supply network will be supplied from a hydroelectric power station, while wind power will feed the pumping system and be stored as potential energy in the larger deposit, and thereby guarantee stability to the distribution network. Any excess will go directly to the supply network.

The project will save annual consumption of 6,000 tons of diesel, equivalent to more than 1.8 million €.

Source: Typicallyspanish

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