- Due to its natural environment and the R&D resources available, the Canary Islands offer indisputable advantages for companies interested in testing products and services in the field of renewable energies
- The European Union supports the Canary Islands? hydrogen R&D and experiments related to the production, storage, and utilization of this fuel in transportation
- Water desalination technology was introduced in the archipelago in the early 1960s and the first wind farms were installed in the 1980s
The Canary Islands offer indisputable advantages for those companies interested in testing products and services in the field of renewable energies not only as a first step towards the introduction of new technological solutions in the continental markets, but also as a platform to develop and transfer clean energy and water technology for African and Latin American countries.
Currently, the R&D of renewable energy is mainly focused on: the production of electricity, fresh water, and ice, applications of renewable energy systems in buildings and agriculture, development of small to medium-sized wind energy systems ? including wind-diesel, testing solar thermal collectors and systems, penetration of renewable energy systems in weak electrical grids, development and evaluation of unconventional desalination and water treatment systems, production of hydrogen and sustainable energy and water management.
Furthermore, the lack of fresh water that plagues the islands has forced the archipelago to search for innovative solutions in every phase of the water cycle. Regional programs promoting solar thermal technology have been running since the mid 1990s, while the incentive of tariff schemes established at the national level are having a very positive impact in stimulating the solar photovoltaic market. The Government of the Canary Islands is also supporting several hydrogen R&D and trial projects related to hydrogen production, storage, and utilization of this fuel in transportation. Moreover, the Regional Energy Plan foresees a marked growth in the use of renewable energies from 2006 to 2015.
Further information about this area: rd@canary-tech.org
| Organismo | Contacto | E-mail |
| Instituto Tecnológico de Canarias (ITC) | Juan Ruiz Alzola | itc@itccanarias.org |
| Instituto Tecnológico y de Energías Reenovables (ITER) | Manuel Cendagorta-Galarza López | iter@iter.es |
| Centro Canario del Agua | Manuel Hernández Suárez | info@fcca.es |