Costa
Rica has managed an incredible ecological feat – it has been able to
produce all of its electricity from renewable resources for 75 days
straight! So far in 2015, the country
has not had to rely on burning fossil fuels to supply the grid with
electricity. To date, no other country
has been able to rely strictly on renewable resources for its energy
consumption for this long a stretch of time.
Costa Rica has been able to
accomplish this milestone largely due to the fact that heavy rains have allowed
its hydroelectric power stations to produce a bumper crop of electricity, which
has led to almost all of their 2015 energy demands being met. The remainder of the country’s grid
requirements have been met through the use of wind, solar, biomass, and
geothermal energy programs. Costa Rica has been committed to the use of greener
energy sources and is determined to become a carbon-neutral country by
2021. They currently supply 94% of its
power from renewable resources, with 68% sourced from hydroelectric power
plants.
Costa Rica is not the only country
to maintain a green focus. The European
Union has put forth renewable energy goals for 2020, but Sweden, Bulgaria, and
Estonia have managed to meet these goals eight years ahead of schedule. One would hope that the U.S. would be
inspired as a leading nation to make a commitment to a greener focus.
Should the U.S. attempt to
foster programs to increase our use of renewable energy resources?
How can we as individuals lower
our overall energy consumption?
What is the best way to raise
awareness about renewable energy resources?
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