First Nation To Plan 100% Solar Power: It's Tuvalu!

July 21st, 2009 by Susan Kraemer

Tuvalu is the tiny nation in the Pacific that sued the Bush administration because of sea level rise that was destroying its ability to sustain itself. (Tuvalu’s flag is number three above, with the stars of the Southern Cross.)

Climate change was affecting Tuvalu early – its gorgeous islands are only 3 feet above sea level. Crops were being destroyed by encroaching seawater from rising sea levels. Plans were being made to emigrate the entire nation to New Zealand by the end of the century.

Now it appears Tuvalu’s remaining 12,000 residents have a stay put and fight back plan:

With the help of the NGO e8 and the Japanese government, Tuvalu has begun installing the first 40 KW of what is to be the first entirely solar powered nation by 2020.

But if you’re a nation with a less ambitious goal, don’t be mad that you’re not going 100% solar too.

Its easier for Tuvalu than for you: 100% solar powering the entire nation will only cost $20 million. There’s only 12,000 people in Tuvalu.

As the earliest of us to have been hit by climate change, Tuvaluans really get the true value of avoiding climate catastrophe, and want to exemplify the new way of living a zero carbon energy life in a new energy world.

Let’s hope the rest of us wake up in time too. But, good for you, Tuvalu!

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Images: e8 and Flikr users exelita and Lomi Paeniu

Via Treehugger









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