It has long dreamt of ending its reliance on diesel fuel, which is transported by boat from its bigger sister island of Tenerife to produce energy — after having been shipped in from further afield.“The electricity bill has remained the same,” says Claudia Barrera, an unemployed, 32-year-old secretary, as she eats breakfast in a cafe in Valverde, the island’s diminutive capital which has no traffic lights. although residents have yet to feel the benefits.So it was that in June 2014, authorities inaugurated the Gorona del Viento plant which combines five wind turbines planted on a hill with one water retention basin further up, and another further down.Interest from Japan, IndonesiaEl Hierro’s aim initially was to cover 100 per cent of its electricity needs within a few months — an objective that has still not been achieved nearly two years on.This file photo shows the reservoir of the Gorona wind-hydro-pumped station on the Spanish Canary island of El Hierro.She promises though that the money saved will go towards other projects.A few thousand visitors tread El Hierro’s shores every year — many of them nature-loving hikers or divers — compared to the five million or so who visit the better-known Tenerife annually.On February 15, this remote Spanish island nestled deep in the Atlantic off the coast of Africa managed just that — for the first time, its hydro-wind plant produced enough electricity for the 7,000 inhabitants for more than 24 hours. (Photo: AFP) This file photo shows the reservoir of the Gorona wind-hydro-pumped station on the Spanish Canary island of El Hierro.

Other European islands like Denmark’s Samsoe and Eigg off the coast of Scotland are also trying to generate all of its energy needs through renewables, but their plants do not combine wind and hydraulic power.And apart from the thousands of tonnes of CO2 that have been prevented from weaving their way into the atmosphere thanks to Gorona del Viento, nearly 3,000 tonnes of fuel oil have been saved according to utility giant Endesa, which owns 23 per cent of the plant...Representatives from the Seychelles, Indonesia, Japan, and Aruba in the Caribbean Sea have already come for a visit.With its rugged coastline of great black volcanic cliffs, badland moonscapes and ancient forests, the island, which is slightly smaller than Malta, is a Unesco biosphere reserve, an area designated to promote its biodiversity and sustainable use.Belen Allende, the current chief of El Hierro’s so-called “cabildo” or local administration, says this is down to Spanish legislation that does not allow its 17 semi-autonomous regions to fix their own electricity prices..And while Samsoe could be hooked up to the Danish electricity grid via an underground cable, the topography of El Hierro’s seabed makes it impossible to connect to the Spanish grid.Juan Pedro Sanchez, head of the Gorona del Viento plant, admits that the average is closer to 50 per cent.2 million euros ($1.4 million).When the wind falls, water in the upper basin is released iinto the lower basin, passing through turbines which generate hydro power.“To have LED Dome Lights factory total energy sovereignty.And then the two water reservoirs are not big enough to produce “clean” electricity all year round, and there are no plans to build another.This unique combination “is very promising” as it solves the problem that renewable energy production is intermittent, said Joelle Noailly, head of research at Switzerland’s Centre for International Environ-mental Studies.But despite these setbacks, the project has generated huge interest, particularly from fellow islands that are directly threatened by global warming.Wary of power outages, the company still prefers to produce electricity from fuel, according to Sanchez.Pines and pineapples vie for space on El Hierro, a tiny rugged Canary island that has gone all out to produce all its electricity from renewables, attracting global attention in the process.“It is a workable model that can be replicated,” says Emanuele Taibi, an analyst at the International Renewable Energy Agency..“It takes time to get this type of plant going, it’s never been done before,” he says.That represents 1.Electricity grid operator REE, he says, still needs to be convinced that it can rely 100 per cent on renewable energy for long periods of time. in an isolated territory is important,” says Tomas Padron, the former chief of El Hierro and instigator of the project.Attracting touristsApart from the obvious environmental benefits, the island wants to use its green image to attract tourists and scientists.

He guided me.Here’s the real reason why Salman Khan went out of his way to make Sultan a wrestlers’ guide to victory. As a child Salman watched them in the akhada. It’s about felling your opponent through technique.”.”But there’s more to Salman ’s fascination for wrestling. “I went to him for a narration.Zafar is perhaps the youngest director that Salman Khan has worked with recently. “For the entire shooting spell of Sultan, Salim saab and Salman’s family adopted me as one of their own. He lost and put on weight. He doesn’t change into a different person when two people walk into the room. There were days when he would visit the doctor before coming to the shoot. But I never felt like I was alone in Mumbai. He Wholesale LED vehicle strip lights surrendered completely to the part. So he knows the wrestlers’ moves.”Zafar is blown by his actor’s dedication on the job and off it too. He is absolutely genuine. I get goosebumps when I see that sequence where he stands in front of the mirror staring at his paunch. Some of Salim saab’s cousins in his hometown Indore were wrestlers. My parents are in Dehradun. After that everything fell into place,” he recalls.

Not once during the shoot did he make me feel small. “Salman comes from a family of wrestlers,” reveals Sultan director, Ali Abbas Zafar, whose earlier box office outings include Mere Brother Ki Dulhan and Gunday. It was like shooting choreographed fights.”Zafar lights up at the mention of Salman’s family too. Wrestling is very Indian and unlike boxing it’s not about hurting your opponent. “I love outdoor sports. I could come and go as and how I wanted to in their home. Salman is like an elder brother to me now. Ali Abbas ZafarHere’s the real reason why Salman Khan went out of his way to make Sultan a wrestlers ’ guide to victory. He heard me for 30 minutes and said it sounded good. Salman also gained and lost huge amounts of weight in very little time. It’s not a bloodied sport. He continues, “I don’t think Salman has given so much of himself to any film so far. He admits that he couldn’t believe his ears when the megastar agreed to be part of his film.The director clearly feels strongly about wrestling. He practised mixed martial arts for two months and by the end of that time, he knew every move in the akhada. “You see, Salman’s family is no stranger to wrestling.”So did he have a fanboy moment on the set “There are no masks and pretences when you’re dealing with him. The doctor would advise him against shooting, then I’d also offer to cancel the shoot, but he’d insist that we carry on as planned. He learnt the Haryanvi language.