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Solar power gives energy independence to Pacific Island Tokelau

Island nation of Tokelau gets ready to go solar Gizmag, By Antonio Pasolini, July 30, 2012 Adopting renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power is a great way to reduce emissions and produce energy locally.

In places like remote Pacific islands, however, those benefits are potentially a key to independence. For that reason Tokelau, a 10 sq. km. (3.86 sq. mi) island nation that lies around 500 km (311 mi) north of Samoa and which is a territory of New Zealand, is about to ditch diesel as a source of electricity and switch to solar power.

In order to turn sunlight into electricity, Tokelau will activate
4,032 solar panels, 392 inverters and 1,344 batteries. The solar
system will be spread across Tokelau’s three atolls – Fakaofo,
Nukunonu, and Atafu. Special attention has been paid to the resilience
and longevity of the materials due the faster wear and tear caused by
the harsh tropical and marine weather conditions, besides the
corrosiveness of the salty air. PowerSmart, a New Zealand-based
company, is designing and installing the project, which will include
one photovoltaic (PV) mini grid on each atoll….
Solar comes as an ideal solution to such a small population (1,411
people) and low power demand, which means the country will go from 0
percent to more than 90 percent renewable electricity in one fell
swoop. The government estimates the solar system will prevent 12,000
tonnes (13,228 tons) of carbon dioxide from going into the atmosphere
over the life of the project. For backup during long spells of
cloudiness, coconut oil-powered generators will supply power and
recharge the battery bank…..
When the system goes live in late September after a commissioning
ceremony, the Tokelau population will be at the leading edge of
climate change mitigation efforts and on its way to energy
independence. http://www.gizmag.com/tokelau-island-solar-power/23448/

July 31, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | decentralised, OCEANIA