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1546
Finding the island
In 1546, sailors drifting for days in calm water off the coast of El Hierro went ashore and gave the islanders an image of the Virgin Mary that they had been carrying for delivery to the New World. At that moment, the winds picked up and the sailors were finally able to sail away to the New World. The wind was promising for future energy production. -
Energy independence
Since 1996, El Hierro has worked steadily at becoming the first energy-independent island in the world that is powered only by renewable energy sources. Energy independence refers to self sufficient energy. -
El Hierro Consortium
All participants were focused on shifting the island’s energy source from diesel-powered generators (that used 6,600 tons of diesel fuel and emitted 8,700 tons of CO2 annually) to a wind and water turbine farm that would use no fossil fuels and emit no CO2. -
Green Plan
Initial plans to convert the whole island into a clean energy lab were greenlit back in 2002. -
No oil
In August 2014, the Spanish Minister of Industry gave the multinational oil company Repsol permission to drill three exploratory deep-water perforations in the ocean seabed near the Canary Islands. -
Closed-loop wind and water system
Today, the Gorona del Viento Power Plant is a closed-loop wind and water system with five windmills and two water reservoirs. These closed loop systems are extremely efficient and helped this island become energy independent.
