First wind turbines on Galapagos Islands cut oil imports

In January 2001, the world held its breath when the tanker Jessica, loaded with 150,000 gallons of fuel, struck a reef and began breaking up in the heart of one of the most precious, famous, and fragile ecosystems on Earth—the Galapagos Islands. At risk were vast numbers of unique species of flora and fauna written about by Charles Darwin in studies that contributed to his landmark theory of evolution by natural selection.

The sight of thousands of gallons of oil pouring into the ocean off the Galapagos island of San Cristobal triggered a determined international initiative to mitigate risks of future spills by dramatically reducing the islands’ dependence on diesel fuel to generate electricity.

Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa just launched his country’s program to end the use of fossil fuels on the Galapagos by 2015. That initiative is led by the San Cristobal Wind Project: three giant wind turbines that will halve the island’s diesel fuel imports and pave the way for further renewable energy development elsewhere in the archipelago (Figure 1).

Evolving power supply. Ecuador recently dedicated three wind turbines on the Galapagos Islands that will supply approximately half of the residents’ power demands. Courtesy: e8

The three wind turbines, totaling 2.4 MW, were installed by the San Cristobal Wind Project, an international partnership among the government of Ecuador, the UN Development Program (UNDP), and nine of the world’s largest electricity companies (known as the e8). They started supplying power on the islands last October. The system will meet 60% to 80% of electrical demand during the windy months of October, November, and December.

The San Cristobal Wind Project is the first stage of an umbrella program supported by Ecuador and the UNDP that will eventually bring renewable electricity—hybrid wind-diesel with some photovoltaic power—to the 30,000 residents of the Galapagos archipelago’s five inhabited islands.

The lead company in the project’s development, funding, and implementation was American Electric Power (AEP), which provided about half of the $10.8 million needed. Ecuador provided $3.2 million, and $1 million came from the United Nations Foundation, coupled with contributions from the UNDP and other sources. A trust has been established to facilitate the system’s ongoing training needs, maintenance and operation, and eventual removal.

“From day one, the overriding concern was the need to protect this invaluable place and its incredible biodiversity,” said Michael G. Morris, CEO of AEP. “The e8 team approached this work with a level of caution akin to the curators responsible for da Vinci’s Mona Lisa or Michelangelo’s David.”

According to project manager Luis Vintimilla of EOLICSA, the company established to operate the project, it is not possible to replace all diesel generation capacity with wind power. “That would be ideal, but there is not enough wind year round,” he said. “In particular, during four months of the year with unfavorable wind conditions, during certain hours on certain days, it will be necessary to continue using diesel generated electricity. However, it is recommended that future work be done on projects to substitute the diesel currently used with a more environmentally friendly fuel.”