Pacific islands going solar with coconut back-up

(UPI): The South Pacific islands of Tokelau say they're committed to obtaining 93 percent of their electricity demand from solar power — and the rest from coconuts. Tokelau's leader Foua Toloa said this week solar energy will provide the majority of the electricity by the middle of next year and the rest will come from coconut oil, NewScientist.com reported Tuesday. Motor vehicles and some cooking equipment will still be allowed to use fossil fuels but renewables will provide most of the nation's power needs, he said. The grids will be fed by solar photovoltaic cells, with batteries to store excess electricity for the night. During periods of overcast or when electricity demand exceeds solar supply, coconut oil will fuel a generator to supply power and recharge the batteries.

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