The Galapagos Islands are famous for inhabitants like giant tortoises, marine iguanas and blue-footed boobies. Nearly the entire archipelago is a national park that carefully preserves this unique environment. But the Galapagos is also home to over 30,000 people living on four of the islands and involved in the tourist trade, in farming and fishing, and in local businesses. The human inhabitants need electricity and, like most islanders, have mostly gotten it from diesel generators.
When the Ecuadorian tanker Jessica ran aground on San Cristobol island in 2001 and 150,000 gallons of diesel fuel leaked into the water, it initiated the creation of the Galapagos Renewable Energy Project. The ultimate goal is to eliminate the use of fossil fuels in providing electricity for the islands.
These days, if you drive along the main road into the highlands of Santa Cruz Island, home of the largest town in the Galapagos, Puerto Ayora, you will see huge metal posts standing or lying by the roadside for miles and miles. These are for a major wind farm being built to power the island. A wind farm on San Cristobal Island was completed in 2008 and supplies 31% of that island’s power.
UNESCO has funded quite a bit of renewable energy work in the Galapagos. Japan and Korea have installed thousands of solar panels on the islands. The overall goal is to have 100% renewable energy by 2017. If that goal is met, the penguins and sea lions that swim in Galapagos waters will never have to contend with a fuel spill again.
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Renewable energy to fill Galapagos electricity demand
Photo, posted March 23, 2008, courtesy of Flickr.
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Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.