Costa Ric A Reality For A Central American Developed Country

Imagine a place, a paradise, where rain, wind, the rays of our sun, and even the dozens of volcanoes that this country has can be used to power up your television, your microwave, your whole house, even your whole city. Well, this will become a reality for a Central American developed country, who has vowed to become 100% bio-sustainable, fossil fuel-free, by the year 2021. This paradise is called Costa Rica. Earlier this year, 2015, for about 75 to 100 consecutive days, Costa Rica s main source of energy was produced purely by hydropower, with added power generated from wind, geothermal and solar projects. (San Martin) During this period, spanning from January to about mid-March, Costa Rica did not burn any fossil fuel to generate†¦show more content†¦Hydropower, energy taken from flowing or falling water, had been the number 1, main source of renewable energy in Costa Rica since about 1989, (Worland) making up about 80% of the electricity produced in the country. One part icular ICE (Costa Rican Electricity Institute), the government owned provider of power, hydroelectric plant and reservoir near the Arenal volcano produces 21% of the energy for the whole country alone. Another project, also started in the 1980s, wind turbines, is another major source of renewable power for the country. One great thing about wind power is that about twenty-six thousand homes can be powered by just 30 turbines. (San Martin) Since the hydroelectric plant and these wind turbines are relatively close to the hotel we will be staying in, in Arenal, I have no doubt that the hotel will be powered by renewable sources and energy! With six active volcanoes in Costa Rica, and over 60 dormant or extinct, the country is able to produce about 14% of its electricity using geothermal energy. Although, with more government investment, this number will grow. By digging subterranean holes and releasing the hot water and steam underneath created by the heat magma and the Earth s core, which can reach temperatures of about 7,600 degrees Fahrenheit, large turbines are spun by the steam released by the geothermal reservoirs, which