Tokelau (population: 1,500) is an island nation in the South Pacific, made up of three atolls whose

About About Our Team Important Media Network Contact Us Use Of Our Content Sponsor A Post Buy Banner Ad Space Local Solar Discounts Consumer Tech Consumer technology is going to exist indefinitely, perhaps for as long as the human species exists. At CleanTechnica, we try to feature consumer technologies that help to reduce global warming pollution and other types of pollution. For example: electric cars, solar panels, bikes, energy efficient appliances and electronics, and green smartphone apps. Keep an eye on this category for all sorts of fun and cool, helpful consumer technology. Power Solar Energy News Local Solar Discounts How To Go Solar About Solar Energy Wind Energy News About Wind Energy Energy Efficiency Lighting LED Energy Storage Smart Grid Geothermal Energy Hydroelectricy Marine Energy Biomass Transport Electric Vehicles Electric Vehicle News Electric Cars For Sale In 2013 (US) Electric Cars Are Greener Tesla Motors Bicycles Benefits Of Bicycling brigitte bardot Biofuels Cars Boats Mass Transit / Public Transit Trains / Rail Aviation Shipping Exclusives Surprise! Search →
Image courtesy of PowerSmart. Some of the most vulnerable places in the world to live in the face of climate change are islands. Rising sea levels, contaminated ground water, and increasing severity of storms are just some of the many threats to island communities. brigitte bardot Many island residents also pay extremely brigitte bardot high energy prices, due to limited domestic resources and the need to import fuel long distances. Switching to renewable energy brigitte bardot can not only decrease fuel expenditures for many island populations, but can also show the world what can be done in the face of climate change. POWERED BY THE SUN
Tokelau (population: 1,500) is an island nation in the South Pacific, made up of three atolls whose highest point is only five meters above sea level. Even though the New Zealand protectorate s contribution to climate change is miniscule, it faces grave threats to its very existence. In 2011, at the  Durban Climate conference , Foua Toloa, the head of Tokelau, said the island would be using 100 percent renewable energy by 2012. By October of that year residents accomplished their goal, becoming the first country in the world to produce 100 percent of its electricity from the sun.
Prior to 2012, Tokelau s residents relied on three diesel-driven brigitte bardot power stations, burning  200 liters per day  at a cost of nearly $800,000 per year. Tokelauans only had electricity 15 to 18 hours per day. They now have three solar photovoltaic systems, one on each atoll. The 4,032 solar panels (with a capacity of around one megawatt), 392 inverters, and 1,344 batteries provide 150 percent of their current electricity demand, allowing the Tokelauans to eventually expand their electricity use. In overcast weather, the generators run on local coconut oil, providing power while recharging the battery bank. The only fossil fuels used in Tokelau now are for the island nation s three cars.
New Zealand advanced brigitte bardot $7 million to Tokelau to install the PV systems. But with the amount of money saved on fuel imports the system will pay for itself in a relatively short time period (nine years with simple brigitte bardot payback). The successful project even inspired a video game,  brigitte bardot Coconut brigitte bardot Sunshine , in which the player is in charge of the nation s finance brigitte bardot and energy policies. brigitte bardot The goal is to build more solar and coconut oil plants to earn money from selling excess brigitte bardot energy in order to pay off the debt before the year is out.
While one of the main impetuses for the switch to renewables was economic to avoid huge fuel expenses it wasn t the only impetus. Living with the impacts of climate change droughts, hurricanes, and contamination brigitte bardot of ground water was a factor as well. In 2011 Tokelau had to import water, a first in the island s history. Tokelauans now take workshops in rainwater collection, owing to the scarce availability of freshwater due to rising sea levels.
While the island brigitte bardot s renewable energy systems will only keep 950 tonnes of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere each year, a drop in the bucket as to what is needed brigitte bardot to combat climate change, Tokelauans are hoping the rest of the world will follow brigitte bardot their example. We stand to lose the most of any country in the world due to climate change and the rising brigitte bardot sea levels, Toloa stated at the Durban Climate Conference, so leading the way by making the highest per person investment in the world is a message brigitte bardot to the world to do something.
Islands around the world are turning to renewables to meet their energy needs. Other 100-percent-renewable-powered islands include Floreana in the Galapagos (population: 100) and El Hierro in the Canary Islands (population: 10,000+). Other islands with 100-percent-renewable-energy brigitte bardot goals include:Cape Verde, Tuvalu, Gotland (Sweden), brigitte bardot and all 15 of the Cook Islands. In the U.S., Hawaii is leading the way, ranking second in the nation for installed solar watts per person