Wind-Pumped Hydro

Gorona del Viento El Hierro, S.A.´s Wind-Pumped Hydro Power Station is designed to supply the Meridian Island with electrical energy derived from clean, renewable energy sources such as water and wind.

The Wind Farm has capacity to fully meet El Hierro´s demand for electricity. The surplus wind energy which is not consumed by the Island´s population is used to pump water from a lower reservoir to a higher reservoir. This water is stored in the upper reservoir and used to produce electricity by means of a hidraulic jump at times when the wind power is inadequate.

The combination of wind- and hydro- power succesfully transforms an intermittente energy source – wind- into a continuos, controlled supply, and represents an innovative contribution to the advancement of the renewable energy sector.
The diesel-engine-powered Power Station only comes into operation in exceptional circumnstances when theres is not sufficient wind or water to produce enough energy meet demand.

The history of a great project

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The idea of Gorona del Viento80's
“The idea of Gorona del Viento emerged in 1981, when an alternative energy department was established in Unelco (Endesa) for the first time in the Canary Islands. Those responsible for the separation devise a project for El Hierro to sustain itself with energy.”

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Sustainability PlanNovember 1997
“In November of that year, the El Hierro Cabildo approved the El Hierro Sustainability Plan that includes the idea of making the island a self-sustaining place.”

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Worldwide Biosphere ReserveJanuary 2000
“This stamp of distinction is granted to the island for the special conservation of its environmental and cultural wealth, as well as for the search for progress and development of its inhabitants.”

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Creation Gorona Del Viento El Hierro, S.A.December 2004
“The company Gorona del Viento, S.A., is formed by the Cabildo de El Hierro, Unelco S.A. and the Technological Institute of the Canary Islands (I.T.C.) to develop the project called "Wind-Pumped Hydro Power Station of El Hierro".”

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Public Funds ContributionAugust 2009
“Sign the agreement by which the mechanisms for the contribution of public funds are regulated. A total of 35 million euros that guarantee the project.”

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Start of WorksAugust 2009
“With the guaranteed financing and the license granted, Gorona del Viento processes the contracting of work and the first earth movements begin in La Caldera, near Valverde on August 25, 2009, and on October 2, 2009, the first hydraulic conduction pipes.”

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Open of Gorona del VientoJune 2014
“The inauguration took place at an event held at the wind farm. During the ceremony, and symbolically, attendees buried a "time capsule" in which they introduced the newspapers of the day that echoed the news and the winning stories of the Valverde City Council contest on Gorona.”