Von Dirk Wittfeld
I first visited El Hierro in November 2022 and was captivated by the mountains, the forests and the people. I could have lain down on the road there – in La Caleta, for example – for a short while. Nothing would have happened to me, as there were so few cars about. But there was something else that particularly captivated me.
The island’s electricity supply. I wrote two degree theses on the subject of decentralised energy supply. The first was in 1980 for my degree in Electrical Engineering, and the second in 1982 for my degree in Industrial Engineering. Forty years later, I finally had the opportunity to see and experience this infrastructure for myself.
I’m really impressed by the combination of wind power and pumped-storage hydroelectricity. When there is a surplus of wind-generated electricity, water is pumped up from the valley. This potential energy can then be used when there isn’t enough wind power available. Solar power from photovoltaic panels is now set to be added as a third component.
100 per cent green electricity: technology is no longer an obstacle for the Canary Islands of El Hierro
The local energy supplier’s diesel generator remains on standby for what will hopefully be rare shortages. Rising energy demand – driven, amongst other things, by increasing tourist numbers – calls for creativity to achieve 100 per cent ‚green‘ electricity.
It would be great if we no longer had to generate electricity from oil. Congratulations on this development – keep up the good work! Technology is no longer an obstacle to zero-emission electricity generation. We just need the will to do it and to rein in the oil lobby.
Note from the Tenerife news editorial team: A week earlier, there had been a serious power cut on the neighbouring island of La Gomera. According to the current state of the investigation, this is believed to have been caused by significantly outdated technology. You can find out more below:
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