4. Case studies

4.1 Energy autonomy for the island of El Hierro

The island of El Hierro in the Canary archipelago boasts a power plant called Gorona del Viento, which combines two energies: wind and hydro (figure 12 ). The aim of coupling these two energies is to meet all the region's energy needs, without suffering from wind variability. Equipped with five wind turbines and two reservoirs, the two wind farms produce 11.5 megawatts each, enough to meet the energy needs of the island's 268 km ² and its 10,600 inhabitants. This production has made the island the first in the world to be over 70% self-sufficient in renewable...