Costa Rica Closes 2015 With 99% Renewable Energy

Water gushes out of a floodgate at the hydroelectric dam Cachi in Ujarras de Cartago, 60 miles of San Jose, Costa Rica © Juan Carlos Ulate / Reuters

Costa Rica has boasted that almost all of the energy it has produced in 2015 came from renewable sources, making the small Central America country a global leader in green energy. “We close 2015 with 99 percent of clean energy!” announced the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) on Facebook, saying that “the energy produced … in 2015 reaches 98.95 % with renewable sources as of December 17.”

Media report continues:

According to the group, the country managed to power 285 days in the period from January 1 through December 17 using only renewable energy.

“We are closing 2015 with renewable electricity milestones that have put us in the global spotlight,” AFP cited ICE electricity division chief Luis Pacheco as saying, predicting even better results for Costa Rica’s energy sector in 2016.

Costa Rica even managed to surpass its energy targets, despite the fact that 2015 “had been extremely dry,” ICE added.

Three quarters of the country’s electricity comes from hydroelectric power stations – Costa Rica has abundant river system and experiences heavy rainfall. Other sources of green energy are geothermal, wind, biomass, and solar.