All energy needs of the El Hierro island, in the Spanish controlled Canary island chain off the west coast of Africa, were met by renewable energy sources for a period of just over two hours earlier this week, the Spanish media informs Saturday.

The feat on the island which has a population of just over 10,000, was made possible by a combination of hydro-electric and wind energy at the Gorona del Viento hydro-electric center.

This center creates electricity through hydro-electric means, with the water which generates the electricity then pumped back up to a holding tank using wind power.

The system combined to provide enough electricity for the islanders for 121 minutes.

"The combination of an intermittent source of energy, such as wind, and a hydraulic system made it possible to keep the electric network stable," said the Director of the Gorona del Viento hydro-electric center.

The ability to provide the electricity with only renewable sources meant that the emission of around 7 tons of carbon monoxide which would have been generated by the use of fossil fuels was avoided.