Tokelau Leads the World on Renewable Energy, to be 100% Solar Powered
On 29 October, 2012, Tokelau became the first country in the world to be producing one hundred percent of its electricity from a renewable source—the sun. The population of 1,411 people decided to end their reliance on around 2,000 barrels of diesel each year, and instead install 4032 photovoltaic panels and 1344 batteries to produce 150 percent of the populations’ energy needs. While the vast majority of power will be provided by the solar systems, it will be supplemented by biofuels produced from locally-sourced—and plentiful—coconuts.
Prior to the Tokelau Renewable Energy Project (TREP), Tokelau has traditionally relied on expensive, imported fossil fuel to meet most of their energy needs. The people of Tokelau are living life clouded in a mist of uncertainty regarding their future.
The move to solar energy for electricity is this small island’s reminder to the world that they are at the frontline of climate change and that can and will take positive and effective action.
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via Business Insider, Australia
