Costa Rica Achieved 99 Percent Renewable Energy in 2015

Almost all of the Central American nation’s electricity came from renewable sources in 2015, the state electricity agency said. Will other countries follow this model?

On Friday, the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) said in a statement that the country reached 99 percent renewable energy this year.

For the first 75 days of 2015, the country had been fully running on renewable energy, according to the Costa Rican government. Then, Costa Rica’s target became to run 97.1 percent on wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass sources for the rest of 2015.

Costa Rica dedicated itself to renewable energy somewhat out of necessity. Much like Venezuela – which used to sell oil to neighbouring countries until it went bankrupt – Costa Rica had to find alternative sources of energy.

Bonaire Le, an energy consultant, said that some of the factors that influence the pace at which renewable energy develops include: legislative mandates, crude oil prices, competitive substitutes, and so on.

Another nation, India – which happens to be the third-largest carbon polluter in the world – has also made a plan to cut carbon emissions and to make its economy energy-efficient. The Indian government stated that in 2030 the country will produce forty percent of its electricity from sources that are non-fossil-fuel based, such as wind, solar, and hydropower.

In Uruguay, about 95 percent of the electricity comes from renewable sources. National Director of Energy Ramón Méndez stated that the country has drastically reduced its carbon footprint over the past decade.

In September, the Swedish government allocated 4.5 billion kronor (approximately $545 million) for green-energy infrastructure. Renewable energy powers about 66 percent of electricity in Sweden. Iceland and Norway rank higher than Sweden. Denmark also generated 140 percent of the country’s electricity from wind power.

This year, Hawaii set a goal of 100 percent renewable energy by 2045. In thirty years, the American state should be running solely on wind, solar, and geothermal power. Currently, the city of Burlington, Vermont, relies 100 percent on renewable energy. California has also pledged to generate fifty percent of its energy from renewable resources by 2030.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) Renewable Electricity Futures Study found that the United Stated could generate 80 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2050.

Image Source: theenergyst