Tokelau Will Be World's First 100% Solar Powered Nation by September
Tokelau may
not yet be a fully self-governing country—the major of its budget is paid for
in aid from New Zealand; its citizens still are technically citizens of New
Zealand; and it has non-self-governing territory status with the UN—but its may
well become the world's nation of island to get all of its electricity from
solar power.
As New Zealand's 3
News reports (ht Revmodo), the three atolls that make up Tokelau are in
the process of phasing out using diesel fuel to generate electricity,
installing over 4000 solar panels as replacement. The first of the atolls to get
solar panels is about halfway towards having all of them installed, with the
remaining panels expected to be installed by September.
Here's the amazing connection between phasing out diesel fueled
electricity, getting the Tokelau budget inline and untying the connection to
New Zealand:
The nation's annual revenues are under $500,000, but the national
budget is $2.8 million. (Yes, million dollars, which gives you a sense of both
how financially strapped and small the place is.)
Currently, diesel powered electricity costs the nation over $1 million a
year (roughly $715 per person, with per capita purchasing power of a bit over
$1000, though the newest data is well over a decade old). Even though it's
going to cost $7.5 million to install all the solar panels—the money is coming
from New Zealand's government—after the system is paid off, the panels will
still have nearly two
home
