Costa Rica has shown the world what is possible this year by achieving 99 percent renewable energy generation. Michael wrote back in April that the country had not used any fossil fuels for electricity so far at that point in the year and, in fact, the Costa Rican Electricity Institute said in a statement that 285 days this year were fossil fuel-free.
Costa Rica is lucky to have a wealth of renewable energy sources to choose from. The bulk of its power generation comes from hydropower thanks to a large river system and heavy tropical rainfalls. The rest is made up of a mix of geothermal energy, which the country is also rich in, wind, biomass and solar power.
The institute said that even though 2015 was a very dry year, Costa Rica was still ahead of its renewable energy targets and goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2021. The country doesn't just want to hit 100 percent renewable energy, but it also wants to clean up energy consumption in general like moving the transportation sector away from fossil fuels and becoming less dependent on hydropower by adding more geothermal energy plants and harnessing energy from other sources.
The citizens of the country have benefited from the cost of energy actually falling by 12% this year and the institute expects it to keep falling in the future.
Imagine what a difference a 99% fossil-fuel free United States would make to geopolitics.
Prior coverage: Costa Rica Gets 100% of Its Power from Renewables for 1st Quarter of 2015.
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ScienceAlert reports Costa Rica has generated 100% of its power from renewables for 75 straight days:
The ICE [Costa Rican Electricity Institute] says the country's zero-emission milestone was enabled thanks to heavy rainfalls at four hydroelectric power facilities in the first quarter of 2015. These downpours have meant that, for the months of January, February and so far in March, there has been no need to burn fossil fuels to generate electricity.
Instead, Costa Rica has been powered primarily by hydro power — both pumped storage and run-of-the-river plants — and a mixture of geothermal, wind, biomass and solar energy.
The original ICE press release (in Spanish) is here. It sounds like Costa Rica has vaulted to the forefront of the energy revolution that Germany and Denmark had been leading. The comparative statics would say oil companies have been taking a bath recently, with an increase in global supply and ongoing demand destruction sending prices well below the previous competitive equilibrium.
Costa Rica is much more than a lush, green tourist paradise; it's also a green energy pioneer. The small Central American nation has generated 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources for the past 113 days, and the run isn't over yet. The country, which draws clean energy from a variety of renewable sources, still has its sights on a full year without fossil fuels for electricity generation.
With a 113-day stretch of 100-percent renewable energy under its belt and several months left in the year, Costa Rica is edging closer to its target. Costa Rica could be on track to match the record set with its renewable energy production last year, which accounted for 99 percent of the country's electricity. That included 285 days powered completely by renewable sources, according to the Costa Rican Electricity Institute.
It's a small country with 5 million people and not a lot of heavy industry, but it's still impressive. There are many other countries with similar climate and terrain that could do likewise.
Previously:
Costa Rica Gets 100% of Its Power from Renewables for 1st Quarter of 2015
Costa Rica Achieved 99% Renewable Energy This Year
(Score: 3, Interesting) by gnuman on Thursday December 24 2015, @04:43AM
Imagine what a difference a 99% fossil-fuel free United States would make to geopolitics.
And China, India and EU. Then we are talking.
Anyway, good for Costa Rica. There isn't much reason why tropics couldn't be carbon neutral sooner rather than later.
(Score: 3, Informative) by frojack on Thursday December 24 2015, @05:17AM
And imagine a US or a China that actually built enough dams to take full advantage of all possible hydro power.
The world would be up in arms. Instead we are removing dams faster than we can building them.
The luck of Costa Rica is built right into its name. Rich Coast. Its just a matter of a lucky location. Could Mexico do this? Nicaragua? Panama?
Probably, but Costa Rica's Government blocked drilling [ticotimes.net] a few years back, and all they import is gasoline and LPG. (Oddly they they did this AFTER proving that they did have some reserves, and could probably meet their own needs for gas.)
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by CortoMaltese on Thursday December 24 2015, @05:47AM
Nearby Honduras is beefing up its renewable energy consumption, with big solar projects (http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/honduras-emerges-as-central-americas-solar-success-story [greentechmedia.com]) and hydro, making the case for poor countries switching to cleaner energy while at the same time expanding their economy.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 24 2015, @09:46PM
Centralized and privately-owned by a megacorporation, of course.
Honduras Is Sold as a Libertarian Paradise. I Went--and Discovered a Capitalist Nightmare [alternet.org]
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 4, Informative) by takyon on Thursday December 24 2015, @05:58AM
This is just a sneak preview. As long as $/W of solar installation declines, it will continue to ramp up, even without government subsidies. Solar power generated grew [wikipedia.org] from 2.6 TWh in 2004 to 185.9 TWh in 2014. Fusion will come along in a few decades, maybe sooner if alternative approaches work. Coal will be history. Natural gas will linger until the end of the century depending on how successful fusion is.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 24 2015, @06:07AM
The Chinese aren't shy about building hydroelectric dams--don't forget they have the Three Gorges Dam [usgs.gov].
The Americans who tear down dams are probably thinking of the fish, or of people downriver who might suffer if a dam gave way. Who really knows why Americans do things?
As for the Costa Ricans, I credit them for not cutting down their forest. Had they done so, hydropower might be impractical, for the reservoirs would fill quickly with silt.
(Score: 2) by bzipitidoo on Thursday December 24 2015, @07:13AM
> Who really knows why Americans do things?
$
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 24 2015, @09:52PM
REGLUE [google.com]
The work here of paulej72, The Mighty Buzzard, and NCommander, to name 3, also rebuts your assertion.
The efforts of some folks are intended to simply make the world a better place.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 24 2015, @06:14AM
"99% renewable energy generation" is not true in the real sense of energy. Why tuck the "for electricity" detail away? 99% of electrical supply is feasible and laudible; 99% energy is not - the vehicles in Costa Rica are by vast majority fossil fueled; fertilizer is still a petroleum transfer; rural heating and land cultivation often involves burning (burned forest briefly makes amazing crop soil unfortunately. At least it's less than in, say, Brazil or Colombia.
Conclusion: stop overselling things, especially like in this case where it's amazing to begin with.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 24 2015, @06:47AM
USA net fossil fuel imports are expected to be near zero anyway by 2020 (see page ES-3 here [eia.gov]). Being fossil-fuel free might not actually make a big difference, geopolitically speaking.
(Score: 2) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Thursday December 24 2015, @09:52AM
Why stop at 100% renewables? They should aim for 105% or 150% and export the surplus to their neighbours.
(Score: 1) by Soybean on Thursday December 24 2015, @06:18PM
Who said anything about stopping?
You can't get to 150% without passing 100% first.
(Score: 1, Troll) by WizardFusion on Thursday December 24 2015, @12:11PM
Imagine what a difference a 99% fossil-fuel free United States would make to geopolitics
The only way the US is going to be fossil-fuel free is if the entire country is nuked from orbit.
Well, mostly Texas and the deep south, but why stop there.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 24 2015, @09:55PM
...and, last I heard, the single biggest consumer of dead dinosaurs is the USA military.
Pile on top of that that it takes additional energy to transport liquid hydrocarbons to remote outposts (as well as putting the convoy personnel at risk) and you can see why USA.mil is interested in mobile renewable energy devices.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]