Costa Rica draait nu volledig op hernieuwbare energie


26 maart 2015 –
Al vijfenzeventig dagen heeft Costa Rica geen fossiele brandstoffen nodig gehad. Binnen zes jaar wil het land volledig uitstootneutraal zijn.

Aldus meldt Express.be:
‘Costa Rica is na IJsland de tweede natie ter wereld die volledig op hernieuwbare energie is overgeschakeld. (…) Dankzij de vele regenbuien dit jaar werken de waterkrachtcentrales in het land op volle toeren en kunnen bijna volledig in de energiebehoeftes van het land voorzien. Daarnaast werd er de voorbije jaren ook veel in geothermische energie, zonnekracht en windturbines geïnvesteerd.’

Quartz, voegt daaraan toe:
‘Costa Rica is not the only place in the area committed to running on green energy. Bonaire, a Dutch island territory off the coast of Venezuela, operates at nearly 100% renewable energy, and will likely reach that milestone soon with the help of an unlikely energy source: algae.’
‘Driven by China, global spending on renewable energy is on track for its first annual gain in three years (though it might not last). Iceland already gets all of its electricity from renewable energy sources, and about 85% of all its energy is produced by geothermal and hydropower sources. And three other European countries (Sweden, Bulgaria, and Estonia) have already hit their 2020 renewable energy goals.
Denmark, which gets 40% of its energy from wind, wants to ditch fossil fuels completely by 2050. The problem with operating completely on renewable energy, as some Danes have noted, is that fossil fuels are still needed as a backup plan if, for instance, there’s a stretch of time when the country hasn’t experienced enough wind or sunshine to power everything.’But the rise of renewable energy has rendered many conventional power plants unprofitable, and owners of those plants are trying to close up shop.
In Costa Rica, a drought would seriously disrupt the country’s ability to generate electricity with water. That’s probably why its government approved a $958 million geothermal project. While that’s being funded largely by Japan and the European Investment Bank, Costa Rica has already been able to spend so much on renewable energy because it doesn’t need to spend anything on defense. The country hasn’t had a military since 1948.’

Bronnen
Express.be, 26 maart 2015: Costa Rica is volledig overgeschakeld op hernieuwbare energie
Quarts, 23 maart 2015: Costa Rica is now running completely on renewable energy

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