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
Related Stories
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 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.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 25 2016, @02:01PM
Are they generating 100% of the energy themselves, or is this one of those BS "credits" things where they "buy" green energy from some other country but still generate "dirty" energy themselves, like how someone in New York can get their energy from wind farms in Texas?
If it is the former, then it is very impressive. If it is the latter, then not so impressive. The goal is impressive, though.
(Score: 5, Informative) by ikanreed on Thursday August 25 2016, @02:24PM
It's mostly the former. There is a "trick" or two that they're not making a big part of the PR releases, but I'd argue it's not really dishonest.
1. They have very low per-capita energy usage. That mostly comes down to economy. If everyone in Costa Rica had a washing machine and an air conditioner, they'd be generating a lot less than they needed.
2. Hydroelectric power(the main renewable there) in Costa Rica is pretty seasonal. They get heavy rains in the hottest parts of the year, but less other times. You can expect as we get into November and December for a good third to half of their power to come from non-renewables.
3. There are brownouts as a result of trying to look 100% renewable to the world. Going for this 100% thing and seeming impressive to the rest of the world has costs to them, and if they were willing to accept bursts of 5-10 days of being 100% renewable instead of these longer periods, they could do better about this.
So... all in all, there are important nuances, but they aren't accounting tricks exactly.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday August 25 2016, @03:19PM
"very low per-capita energy usage."
Train of thought was, "Well with the earthquake and all, and with Hillary using their misfortune to enrich herself . . . oh, wait, Costa Rica, not Haiti."
But the punch line still applies. Costa Ricans aren't spoiled Americans, so it's comparably easy to meet their needs using renewable sources.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 25 2016, @03:54PM
That post is a case of being so far up your own butt that you find shit and think its gold.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Thursday August 25 2016, @06:48PM
At the same time, they don't have nearly as much money per capita to build windmills with as countries with higher energy use.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 25 2016, @11:53PM
On the other other hand, Don Quixote isn't fucking things up for them.
(Score: 2) by Hawkwind on Thursday August 25 2016, @09:46PM
I'm aware of one island (Madeira?) where they're getting around this somewhat by pumping water to higher elevations with 'surplus' energy for later energy production. Another strategy (might be the same place) is solar, which can be in abundance during the dry season.
Amazing what can happen when oil becomes very expensive.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by martyb on Thursday August 25 2016, @04:51PM
Do note that this article concerns 100% renewable generation of just their electricity needs; not their energy needs. So, for example, gas/petrol powered cars are not included. Don't get me wrong, this is still a major accomplishment — it would be great if more countries could say the same about their electricity needs and use.
Wit is intellect, dancing.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Thursday August 25 2016, @06:51PM
True, but they're also introducing biofuels, so they're working on it.
(Score: 2) by martyb on Thursday August 25 2016, @10:22PM
Oh? Hey, that's nice to hear! Once they've got the low-hanging fruit in one area taken care of, time to move on to another one. Notably, with the advancements in electric vehicles, they may be able to take advantage of THAT over time, as well.
Wit is intellect, dancing.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 26 2016, @02:37AM
it's about you not finding out there is a big oil spill
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 25 2016, @02:21PM
http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=compare+USA+and+costa+rica+energy+use [wolframalpha.com] -- About 480:1 on total energy use
http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=compare+USA+and+costa+rica+population [wolframalpha.com] -- About 65:1
https://www.google.com/#q=costa+rica+energy+use [google.com] -- Costa Rica/Energy use per capita = 982.56 kg of oil equivalent (2011)
https://www.google.com/#q=USA+energy+use [google.com] -- United States of America/Energy use per capita = 6,793.96 kg of oil equivalent (2012)
Google results include some other countries for comparison and plot vs. year back to 1980 or 1970.
For example, on the Costa Rica plot is also showed a large drop in energy consumption per capita in Cuba -- around 1990. I wonder what happened then (maybe USSR dropped financial support?)
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 25 2016, @03:04PM
It's called the Special Period (PerÃodo especial). It wasn't a great time to be a cat, or a zoo animal.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by FatPhil on Thursday August 25 2016, @03:41PM
But the US only generates only 10% (2014) of what the lazy pampered Americans use using renewable energy.
So CR is still doing >40% better than the US at utilising renewable energy.
I'm pretty sure Norway (hydro) and Germany (all kinds) dominate that massively, but it shows that even relatively poor countries can push forward.
Biggest economy in the world, and still backward - shame!
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday August 25 2016, @06:23PM
To be fair, pretty much all Costa Ricans live in places where you don't need much heating, and a lot closer to abundant hydro.
If the dumb Europeans had listened to the Natives and kept the nomadic lifestyle, rather than settle for good in Minnesota or the deserts only to spend massive energy amounts fighting the weather, it would be a lot easier to reduce the overall power consumption.
Which shouldn't be used as an excuse when Americans could probably drop their energy consumption by 20 or 30% fairly quickly by being a bit more reasonable (as they had to during the oil embargo). CA just demonstrated that people could cut their water usage by 25% by having more reasonable expectations.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Joe Desertrat on Thursday August 25 2016, @09:10PM
Which shouldn't be used as an excuse when Americans could probably drop their energy consumption by 20 or 30% fairly quickly by being a bit more reasonable (as they had to during the oil embargo). CA just demonstrated that people could cut their water usage by 25% by having more reasonable expectations.
Absolutely correct, but if you suggest being more reasonable you get flamed for "trying to destroy our way of life".
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 26 2016, @12:09AM
Where it's cold: Super-insulated buildings.
Do it right and you can keep the place comfy with a single candle.
Where it's hot: Again, lots of insulation--with special attention to walls that face southward and westward.
High ceilings; give warm air someplace to go where the people aren't.
Lots of thermal mass in the living space.
Open the windows and doors at dusk and let the cool evening air in.
N.B. In SoCal there is a day-night differential that is typically 20 degrees F--sometimes 30 F.
(Even if you don't have breezes all the time, if you build things wisely, you can use the chimney effect to get air circulation.)
Around dawn, stop up all the holes so that the cool air stays inside.
Note also that I haven't had an air conditioner in my living space for 3 decades.
The problem with USA is that buildings were built to be cheap to purchase--not for long-term affordability.
Petroleum taken from other nations at gunpoint tends to queer the thinking of a superpower (once-cheap heating oil; single-family homes in the suburbs).
Paying domestic coal miners with poverty wages has a similar effect WRT electricity generation.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Scruffy Beard 2 on Friday August 26 2016, @05:57AM
When using candles for heat, you need to include a vent-hole. Igloos and similar structures made out of piled snow (forget what they are called) are heated that way.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by richtopia on Thursday August 25 2016, @04:31PM
Here is a quick list of all countries of energy usage per capita:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_energy_consumption_per_capita [wikipedia.org]
Looking at the countries I believe Costa Rica is below average (less than China but more than India), but not an outlier.
However, very relevant is the quality of life. This is very hard to measure but by the World Happiness Report Costa Rica is doing quite well (14th, and the highest non-Western nation):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Happiness_Report [wikipedia.org]
Costa Rica does consume less energy enabling large periods of time of 100% renewable usage, but they still live in comfort. Something to be learned from both on the energy and quality of life aspects.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Osamabobama on Thursday August 25 2016, @05:11PM
I think I understand what you are getting at with that label, but I can't help but be distracted by the geographical irony. If a location in the middle of the Western Hemisphere isn't enough to qualify as a Western nation, I don't know what is.
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
(Score: 2) by JNCF on Thursday August 25 2016, @05:43PM
He's also implicitly counting New Zealand and Israel as non-Western. New Zealand is about as far East as you can get on a map, and I would have a hard time arguing that Israel is Western in a geographic or cultural sense.
(Score: 2) by JNCF on Thursday August 25 2016, @06:06PM
Emphasis added:
He's also implicitly counting New Zealand and Israel as non-Western.
I meant Western, obviously. Hurpadurpa.
(Score: 2) by Hawkwind on Thursday August 25 2016, @09:04PM
Western nation may be non-intuitive but it's pervasive [wikipedia.org]. Although meaning can very there's an interesting map here [wikia.com].
(Score: 2) by richtopia on Thursday August 25 2016, @09:11PM
I actually did take a moment to consider how to make that statement and figured Western was reasonable. I didn't want to say Costa Rica was Third World, but now that I think about it developing would have been a better statement.
Since I enjoy linking Wikipedia so much, there is an article which discusses the usage of the terminology "Western". I was thinking along the lines of the modern economic definition from the article, although the many definitions in the article stress how loose of a term Western Nation is.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_world#Economic_definition [wikipedia.org]
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 25 2016, @02:33PM
http://bbs.progrider.org/lounge/read/1471946796 [progrider.org]
Try some libre vidya
Tired of being tired, but don't want to de-bed?
Try something new (to you):
Info:
https://lgdb.org/game/chaosesque-anthology [lgdb.org] [lgdb.org]
http://www.moddb.com/games/chaosesqueanthology [moddb.com] [moddb.com]
https://sourceforge.net/projects/chaosesqueanthology/ [sourceforge.net]
Direct download:
http://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/chaosesqueanthology/Rel_93/XonoticChaosEsqueAnthologyREL93.iso?r=&ts=1471771440&use_mirror=liquidtelecom [sourceforge.net]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 25 2016, @11:55PM
The best thing about that game is the vegetation.
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 25 2016, @02:36PM
Wagies mad don't have decade to devote to hobby
07:17 -!- Irssi: Join to #darkplaces was synced in 1 secs
07:19 Xonotic stand alone mod: https://lgdb.org/game/chaosesque-anthology [lgdb.org]
07:19 Has reached release 93. Over 100 weapons, city generation, buildable buildings (like RTS) and
furnishings, spell casting, medeval weaps, futuristic weaps, modern weaps, foliage system,
nukes, etc etc. Thoughts?
07:20 -!- Blub\w [~wry@93.83.4.190] has quit [Ping timeout: 180 seconds]
07:22 dunno why'd you make a xonotic mod
07:29 -!- Lava_Croft [~LC@213.204.255.34] has joined #darkplaces
07:37 thanks mikee
07:38 sigh is that mikee? =/
07:41 Diablo-D3: maybe because divverent coded the base features that were needed for the mod into
xonotic at the beginning of the mod?
07:41 yeah but like, why not just make your own game?
07:41 the rest of the mod is a simple extention
07:42 I don't know, maybe because I was working on things for nexuiz/etc for 10 years...
07:42 (since 2006 atleast)
07:42 maybe I go with what I know...
07:43 maybe good things don't come in a flash
07:43 maybe the wheel doesn't need yet another implementation?
07:43 perhaps I don't need to do useless work just to claim "I did it all look at me" (Diablo Dee
Three!)
07:44 It's standalone anyway: you can just DL the ISO and run it (from the disc if you hate speed)
07:47 over 100 weapons...
07:47 :) /smug/
07:48 city generation, RTS style buildable buildings, all with interiors, foliage, lots of other
mods...
07:48 It's nice having exactly what you want in a game, and all of it. The power of OpenSource
07:50 Matches with the buildables can go on for hours and hours as you try to build up your
civilization while degrading the other player(s). Also even if it's not a team game, the
admin can enable friends and you can make alliances etc.
07:50 -!- Blub\w [~wry@93.83.4.190] has joined #darkplaces
07:51 Think of an RTS where you can actually be in the buildings.
07:52 You can also build apartments inside the city generation buildings. Secretly plotting against
the strongest player with the strongest base with your own place in the nearest town to his
base.
07:53 Not enough weapons?: There's a mutator to spawn them around. Same for spawnpoints etc. By
default if a map doesn't have spawnpoints the game will now make some, or if ones are not
usable, thus avoiding crash.
07:53 Lots of compatability code was added for Q1 maps also, so you can enjoy those.
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07:58 Who let this guy through the slipgate
07:59 Lava_Croft: what are your objections?
08:00 Jealous that I can spend 10 years continiously working on a project while you go earn your
wage
08:00 That I do as I want, while you do as you must
08:01 Maybe when you retire at age 59 you'll have such freedom (but no drive any-longer), untill
your body falls apart within that decade.
08:01 Lava_Croft: tick tock, Lava_Croft , tick tock, the boss doesn't make money for himself you
know
08:02 https://lgdb.org/game/chaosesque-anthology [lgdb.org]
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08:09 -!- Blub\w [~wry@93.83.4.190] has quit [Ping timeout: 180 seconds]
08:24 i can spend 10 years taking a shit and afterwards feel proud too
08:28 -!- fleeky_ [~fleeky@p4FC190C4.dip0.t-ipconnect.de] has quit ["Leaving"]
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09:14 -!- mode/#darkplaces [+o Tomaz] by Caleb
09:18 Lava_Croft: tick tock wagie, keep making money for your boss
09:19 -!- Blub\w [~wry@93.83.4.190] has joined #darkplaces
09:19 only 1 more day till freedom for 2 days
09:19 Lava_Croft: you're waiting till you're 59 to take that "10 year shit"
09:20 wagie gets to live, only when they're almost dead
09:22 -!- Blub\w [~wry@93.83.4.190] has quit [Ping timeout: 180 seconds]
09:22 look how low brow the wagecuck is " i can spend 10 years taking a shit and
afterwards feel proud too" a real workin' mayne, making a paycheck for his woman n kids, got
no time for that hobby bullshit, it's all "shit" anyway, he could surely do better, and will,
when he retires at 59 and has 10 years to himself!
09:23 all those good years of his life, traded for maybe a decade of near decrepitness to himself.
09:23 "wagecuck" dat edge
09:23 have you considered going back to 4chan
09:24 what a great deal! awsome decision. and that's if there is no divorce and childsupport!
09:24 q66 do you make good money for your boss too?
09:24 i work on open source, for decent money, from home
09:25 wagies: while you were slaving away and have nothing to show for it, I've been just doing my
hobby: https://lgdb.org/game/chaosesque-anthology [lgdb.org]
09:25 q66: is it a videogame in freedom?
09:25 no
09:25 -!- Blub\w [~wry@93.83.4.190] has joined #darkplaces
09:25 a videogame engine, in freedom?
09:26 nothing videogame related
09:26 gamedev is a silly thing
09:26 q66: I don't know, unless it is audio composition software, or an image editor sounds like
you're wagecucking
09:26 09:26 gamedev is a silly thing
09:26 only a wagecuck could believe that
09:27 well, in the negative sence: it is silly as in a fun frivolity
09:27 but all consumer computer tech is a frivolity
09:28 q66 gamedev while wagecucking is a sillything. Gamedev as a hobby is years of fun.
09:28 -!- Blub\w [~wry@93.83.4.190] has quit [Ping timeout: 180 seconds]
09:29 i already do that
09:29 but professional gamedev is shit
09:29 yes it is, only a fool would slave away in pro game dev
09:30 taking one's passion, and making it one's hell
09:30 might aswell kill themselves since they ruined the thing they used to love, and now have
nothing to live for
09:32 q66: take the standalone mod for a spin, tell Lava_Croft how right he is and how he was
correct to make money for a boss for a decade rather than following passion and fufilling his
own dreams: validate him!
09:33 Don't expect anything in return for the pat on his back tho: he's eternally too worn out
everyday for wagekeking to ever help you out!
09:34 have you considered killing yourself
09:34 no, why would I?
09:34 I'm not a wagecuck, so I just do as I wish and enjoy myself building what I want to build.
09:35 I don't understand the foundation of your question.
09:35 Not everyone wishes to enjoy the wages the wagie earns.
09:37 You work and work and work. And then you die. You have turned your back on the thoughts of
the God of Deuteronomy and support the opposite views. The wages of sin is death.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 25 2016, @10:29PM
This guy is giving pedophilia a bad name.
https://kiwifar.ms/threads/mikeeusa-michael-mcallister-mikhail-kvaratskhelia.19315/ [kiwifar.ms]
https://geekfeminism.org/2009/10/08/psa-mikeeusas-hate-speech-and-harassment/ [geekfeminism.org]
http://www.whatwillweuse.com/2009/10/13/not-in-my-neighborhood-mikeeusa-removed-from-sourceforge/ [whatwillweuse.com]
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 25 2016, @02:44PM
The 'Discovery' crew came in to do some filming.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 25 2016, @04:28PM
And on Day 115 someone found high grade bauxite. Then an Aluminum smelter was established...along with a fossil fuel multi megawatt power plant. If not in Costa Rica, then it will be somewhere else and blow up any attempt to keep power consumption per capita down.
(Score: 2) by Gravis on Thursday August 25 2016, @05:26PM
while this is a good start, it's not enough, not yet at least. they need to switch to electric car and charge those from the grid using renewable electricity only and then it will be a great feat. alternatively, hydrogen fuel using only renewable power to extract the hydrogen would work too.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Thursday August 25 2016, @06:59PM
They are slowly expanding the use of biofuels.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 25 2016, @10:29PM
is there an echo in here?
(Score: 2) by Bogsnoticus on Friday August 26 2016, @07:03AM
Yes
Genius by birth. Evil by choice.
(Score: 2) by Hawkwind on Thursday August 25 2016, @08:57PM
The Iceland episode is a bit different, after all they have enormous energy potential. Interesting to hear about their efforts to attract foreign corporations needing cheap energy, and their successes with green houses.