Around New Zealand there are a number of islands including the Tokelau territory, which is classed as an atoll–a group of coral islands. Tokelau may only consist of 10km2 of land split over the three islands of Atafu, Nukunonu, and Fakaofo, but it is still home to around 1,400 people.
At the moment the territory relies on diesel to help power daily life there, and around 200 liters of the fuel is used every day. That is soon set to change though, and Tokelau will become the first habited place on Earth to rely almost completely on solar power. The one exception is the three cars the islands have.
Powersmart Solar has been contracted to replace the diesel generators with a green alternative and ensure the future power needs of the territory. They’ve calculated that the islands requires 4,032 solar panels, 392 inverters, and 1,344 batteries in order to keep the electricity flowing day and night. In fact, the new setup is expected to offer 150% of Tokelau’s power needs compared to the old system which came up a bit short, future proofing the area to some extent.
Tokelau is the perfect location to attempt to rely entirely on renewable solar energy. It is remote, gets the sunlight required for the solar cells to work effectively, and relatively small, making this a manageable project. But the islands also offer up one extreme, and Powersmart has had to ensure the system it is installing can withstand winds of up to 230km/h.
Developing such a system has required a lot of testing and problem solving about how to go about powering an entire population. If it works, there’s no reason that knowledge couldn’t be put to good use in other remote locations around the world.
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