Islands powered solely by renewable energy

Sites include Samso in Denmark, El Hierro in Spain, and Dongtan in China

In the midst of the discussion on how large the share of renewable energy in the energy mix could grow, three islands have taken a more radical course. They are aiming at nothing less than 100 per cent renewable energy. And no, these are not islands with one or two inhabitants, perhaps a lighthouse, and a few sheep. Samso has a population of 4,300 people. In El Hierro there are 10,500, and the city of Dongtan is planning for a population of 50,000 inhabitants.

Samso, an ecological wonderland

In 1997 Samso won a national contest to select the island with the best plan for becoming 100 per cent energy-sustainable within a ten year frame. Today, 100 per cent of their electricity comes from wind power. The excess wind power is sold to the mainland. To heat their homes and buildings, they installed a district heating system powered by solar power and biomass (wood pellets and straw). Samso farm tractors and the ferry boats serving the island are powered by locally grown rapeseed oil. Only private cars still consume non-renewable energy, but given the excess of wind power generated on the island, they are easily carbon neutral. The next energy project will be to develop a hydrogen plant powered by wind energy to supply the car fleet with renewable energy.

El Hierro relying on renewable electricity

El Hierro in Spain’s Canary Islands will receive 100 per cent of its electricity supply from renewable sources by 2009. It will rely on a combination of wind power and hydroelectricity. A pumping station will be used for storage and to balance supply and demand. Excess wind energy will be used to power two desalination plants. An existing diesel-powered plant on the island will be maintained for emergencies.

The new eco-city of Dongtan near Shanghai

In China, the Dongtan Eco City is being constructed on the marshes of Chongming Island, at the mouth of the Yangtze and opposite of Shanghai. Dongtan will have a population of 50,000 people by 2010, rising to 500,000 people by 2040. It will generate 100 per cent of its electricity needs through solar, wind, biomass, and waste power stations. Hydrogen filling stations will supply lightweight fuel cell cars. Traditional motorbikes will be forbidden, replaced by electric scooters or bicycles. A Dongtan inhabitant will have an ecological footprint of about two hectares, three times less than an inhabitant in Shanghai.

Building Dongtan will cost US2$ billion for the first phase alone and probably a multiple of that for the complete project. According to the Chinese authorities, this sum is sensible since Dongtan was designed to serve as a prototype for the entire country. Critics however question the logic of such a project when you have a city like Shanghai (20 million people) just across the river. Shanghai has virtually no buildings with lagging in the roofs, energy efficient and draught-free window frames, or any other simple and cost-effective energy saving measures. Moreover, planning is underway to build ten NON-eco-friendly suburbs of a million inhabitants each simultaneously with Dongtan.

References

• Article ‘How Denmark is leading the way in renewable energy’ on MoneyWeek
• Article ‘Danish Island is Energy Self-Sufficient’ on CBS News
• Article ‘Island powered solely by renewables’ on Development Crossing
• Article ‘China to build First Eco-City’ on CRIEnglish.com
• Article ‘Dongtan Eco-Village, model of sustainability or simply green-washing?’ on China Travel Industry Blog