On the Island of Bonaire, Views of a Potentially Rich Renewable Energy Resource

The Caribbean island of Bonaire has been on a pretty interesting path energy-wise since 2004, when the island’s sole power plant burned to the ground. Given an opportunity to rebuild literally from the ground up, the government decided to create a plan that would lead them to 100 percent sustainable energy generation by the end of the following decade—which is getting closer and closer.

(Related Photos: Oil-Reliant Islands Seek Green Energy Restart)

The first part of the plan called for a wind-diesel hybrid power plant that would gather the energy from 12 wind turbines and several small diesel generators to allow the island to have all the energy that it needs to sustain itself. The power plant came online in 2010,

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