Click here to enlarge imageRecent data from the working document of the Canary Islands' Hydrological Plan reveal the archipelago's heavy dependence on desalination for its economy and drinking water supply. Further development of desalination plants, however, should include the use of renewable energy instead of fossil fuels.
Approximately 50% of the population in the Canary Islands depend on desalinated water supplies. Desalin-ation requires energy; which accounts for nearly 50% of the costs incurred in producing potable drinking water. Consequently, any increase in desalinated water production results in higher energy consumption.
Ninety-four percent of the electricity consumed on the islands comes from fuel-oil consumption, according to the latest statistics. Nevertheless, this relationship between desalination and energy, although generally a concern, is not often discussed outside technical circles.
It should not be forgotten that the commitment made by Spain and the European Union with respect to the Kyoto protocol includes the obligation to reduce greenhouse gases production, among them carbon dioxide (CO2). Given that water production in the Canary Islands appears to be linked directly and increasingly to oil combustion, and that economic and population growth implies greater water consumption, renewable energy sources must be tapped for use in water production and water reuse facilities in order to reduce CO2 emissions.
One example of the way in which three variables - water, population and energy - appear to be linked in the economic development of an island that is essentially near-desert is the case of Lanzarote. Similar graph curves are obtained for Fuerteventura, another fast-growing island.