Photographs by Giulio Paletta
The smallest of the larger islands in the Canary Islands archipelago is El Hierro. It measures less than 50 kilometers from one end to the other and is the most western of the islands in the Canaries. El Hierro’s natural beauty is incredibly diverse, offering visitors the opportunity to hike its protected interior woodlands and relax in the warm waters of its unspoiled lagoons and coves along the island’s rugged coastline. El Hierro is the most volcanic of the Canaries archipelago, featuring more than 500 open craters and another 300 volcanos with craters covered by lava flows.
A powerful ecological mindset infuses El Hierro’s soul, which was awarded the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve designation in 2000. Beginning in 1996 the island began working steadily to become the world’s first energy-independent island that is powered only by renewable energy sources. The Gorona del Viento El Hierro consortium was formed in 1996. It included islanders, faculty and students from the Canary Islands Institute of Technology, consultants from the Spanish utility company Endesa, and representatives of the Spanish government. All participants were focused on shifting the island’s energy source from diesel-powered generators to a wind and water turbine farm that would use no fossil fuels and emit no CO2. The consortium directed their collective scientific know-how, moral will, and spiritual commitment toward meeting their energy needs with nature, not from nature.
The complex system of the hydroelectric power station of Gorona Del Viento, combining wind, water and electric power, managed to give energy to the whole island, creating the first 100% energetically independent island in the world 
The complex system of the hydroelectric power station of Gorona Del Viento, combining wind, water and electric power, managed to give energy to the whole island, creating the first 100% energetically independent island in the world 
A trailer using a solar panel to recharge parked on the beach at El Hierro island 
The complex photovoltaic system that Andres Acosta uses to cultivate his organic wine in La Frontera. He is 100% energetically independent thanks to this system of solar panel given to him by the Gorona Del Viento company together with the help of the local government in El Hierro 
View of La Frontera village and mountains, seen from the organic wine plantations above 
The quiet and pacific village of Tamaduste, on the notheast part of the island, near the small El Hierro airport, is one of the main beach towns on the island, where mainly locals and some tourists love to enjoy the calm and clean waters of this bay 
The natural thermal pools of La Maceta, on the northern coast of El Hierro island are considered one of the most famous natural pools on the island 
The wild and remote western part of El Hierro island is mainly uninhabited 
The wild and remote western part of El Hierro island is mainly uninhabited 
The complex photovoltaic system that Andres Acosta uses to cultivate his organic wine in La Frontera. He is 100% energetically independent thanks to this system of solar panel given to him by the Gorona Del Viento company together with the help of the local government in El Hierro 
Pozo de las Calsosas village, was once an active fishermen village. It has been abandoned many years ago and it is now a surreal desert village built on volcano lava on the northern coast of El Hierro island 
Pozo de las Calsosas village, was once an active fishermen village. It has been abandoned many years ago and it is now a surreal desert village built on volcano lava on the northern coast of El Hierro island 
Florencio Benitez is a local business man and one of the most important producers and sellers of bananas and pineapples on El Hierro island. 
One of the many organic banana and pineapple trees cultivation just outside La Frontera town
El Hierro is well on its way to producing all of its energy from renewable sources. In 2019, 54% of the island’s electricity came from wind and water thanks to the state-of-the-art Gorona del Viento hydroelectric power plant. Gorona del Viento is a closed-loop wind and water system with five windmills and two water reservoirs. Harnessing the Atlantic Ocean’s near-constant winds, the windmills capacity provides islanders with daily electricity while also powering three water desalination plants. The plant stores water when surplus power is generated and reuses it If the wind stops or demand for electricity is high.
The results of El Hierro’s transformation towards becoming a sustainable island are very encouraging. For calendar year 2020, the island covered 1,293 hours of power use by renewable sources only and saved 5,922 tons of diesel fuel that was not used for generating energy. The resulting benefit to our planet was 19,544 tons of greenhouse gases (mainly CO2) not being emitted into the atmosphere.
All photos by Giulio Paletta / UIG. To license these photos above and more from this story, or inquire about additional coverage of El Hierro from Giulio Paletta, please contact UIG.
To learn more El Hierro and its march towards a 100% renewable energy future, please visit https://www.goronadelviento.es/en/
Sources:
https://healingearth.ijep.net/energy/case-study-el-hierro
https://www.goronadelviento.es/en/
https://www.spain.info/en/region/el-hierro-island/
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/el-hierro-canary-islands-activities