Costa Rica’s
electricity company has announced that non-renewable energy was not used for a period
of 75 days in 2015. It is the first time that a country has reported to run
purely on renewable energy for such an extended period. The renewable energy
used by Costa Rica mainly comes from three sources.
Rivers and volcanoes in Costa Rica
Source: http://costarica-information.com/nature/national-parks-other-protected-areas/national-parks/p-t/turrialba-national-park-volcano
1.
Heavy
downpours
80% of the renewable
energy generated during this period of 75 days was from the hydroelectric plants
in Costa Rica. These hydroelectric plants were initially built to generate
hydropower from the many rivers in Costa Rica.
2.
Volcanoes
Geothermal energy spots
Source: http://www.sciencedirect.com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/science/article/pii/S037565050600068X
Volcanoes are
capable of providing geothermal energy. Water is injected through wells and is
heated to high temperatures underground. The water boils to form steam. The
steam is then used to turn turbines and generate electricity. Countries such as
Japan and Indonesia probably should aim to increase their geothermal energy
production. It may be timely for Japan to tap on this source of energy since
nuclear energy are sparking off protests.
3.
Sun
and wind
Costa Rica experiences
a tropical climate. It receives a large amount of sunlight throughout the year.
Hence, it is able to capture solar energy. Wind energy is also harnessed. Solar
and wind energy constitutes about 7% of energy produced.
While there
are countries that can harness these renewable sources too, they may have a
difficulty in using 100% energy for a continuous period of time. Population
size sets Costa Rica apart from these countries. Costa Rica has a relatively
small population of 5 million and hence, energy demand is much lower as
compared to other large countries such as the United States. Costa Rica is
actively promoting the use of renewable energy. The Costa Rican government also
has aims to become the first carbon neutral country in the world by 2020.
References:
FENDT , L.,
2015. The truth behind Costa Rica’s renewable energy. Available from:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/30/truth-behind-costa-rica-renewable-energy-reservoirs-climate-change
[Accessed 14 September 2015].
MOYA, P.
& DIPIPOO, R., 2007. Unit 5 bottoming binary plant at Miravalles geothermal
field, Costa Rica: Planning, design, performance and impact. Geothermics,
63–96. [Accessed 14 September 2015]
TARANTOLA ,
A., 2015. Costa Rica hasn't used any fossil fuel in over two months. Engadget.
Available from:
http://www.engadget.com/2015/03/23/costa-rica-hasnt-used-any-fossil-fuel-in-over-two-months/
[Accessed 14 September 2015].
Wow! This is a really interesting story about Costa Rica's renewable energy efforts. While Singapore is alternative energy -deficient, this article really prompts one to think about how Singapore can do more in increasing its renewable energy usage, considering that Singapore is a much more developed country, with a higher level of technological expertise compared to Costa Rica, and has about the same population size although energy use per capita is higher. Am really amazed by Costa Rica's vision to become carbon neutral by 2020, something that very few developed countries are ready or willing to work towards. This also relates to the issue of ethics which we learn in environmental law, as Costa Rica is making great efforts to be sustainable despite having not contributed largely to the carbon emissions in the atmosphere today.
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