Fantastic news on the zero carbon front!
Costa Rica have hit a record of 75 days, using power generated only through renewable sources.
The state is well-known for environmentally-friendly regulations and protection measures, yet even so the achievement is a surprise.
The state-run Costa Rican Electricity Institute has said they believe it is due to the large amount of rain that was experienced, which allowed the country to use hydroelectricity to make the jump from an already amazing 94% renewable energy usage to 100%.
Of course, this means it may not be sustainable to this amount from here on, however Costa Rica are already working on making even more improvements to their renewable energy infrastructure, with a push on geothermal resources. The country already have a 10% output from geothermal energy, and more geothermal projects are in planning positions.
Cedrec's take
This is a brilliant boost for ambitions for a zero carbon Europe. The targets are approaching, yet it is a small Latin America country that is showing the way.
Costa Rica is lucky in several ways, as the populace of less than 5 million is always going to be an advantage for renewable energy holding the burden.
However, it is Costa Rica's infrastructure and uses of the resources it has available to it. The geothermal technology is logical, the country has volcanic activity, whilst hydropower is proving a useful, if not entirely ideal, resource. Costa Rica have invested $958 million into new geothermal power to take the burden away from hydropower, which itself cannot fully generate enough for Costa Rica's needs in addition to presenting environmental issues with dams. The new plant, when completed, will produce 55 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 55,000 homes.
Here's hoping that Costa Rica prove a role model for Europe to follow.
