El Hierro covers more than half of its electricity demand thanks to renewable energy.

The Gorona del Viento hydro-wind power plant supplied 54% of El Hierro’s electricity demand during 2019.

The island of El Hierro, which in 2018 achievedconsume renewable electricity for almost 2,000 uninterrupted hoursThe Gorona del Viento hydro-wind power plant has once again set a milestone in the history of renewable energy. Last year, it supplied 54% of the electricity to consumers on El Hierro, meaning that more than half of the electricity consumed by its 11,000 inhabitants came from renewable sources.

Thus, this pioneering power plant saved nearly 7,000 tons of fuel and prevented the release of 23,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. This achievement is the result of increased experience operating this innovative power plant model, as well as favorable weather conditions, as explained to the Agency by Santiago González, the plant’s CEO.WHAT.

How does Gorona del Viento work?

Gorona del Viento combines, through ainnovative system, a power plantwindwith an installationhydroelectricAllowing water to be pumped from a lower reservoir to an upper one using the surplus energy produced by the wind turbines.

Thus, it uses this resource when a lack of wind is reported. This operation has allowed, according to the company in charge of the plant, that46.5% of all energy consumedby the island during the past year comes from renewable sources.

The facility became fully operational in July 2015. During its first year of operation, which was actually six months, it covered 19.2% of the total demand. This far exceeded the contribution of the renewable energy mix to the island of El Hierro prior to its commissioning: 2.3%.