15 | MANE ENERGY | JULY 2018
Rich Coast. The country of Costa Rica’s name is a literal Spanish translation of ‘rich coast’. It is said to have come from famed explorer Christopher Columbus, whose final voyage in 1502 lead him to the east coast of the country. He had noted because many of the locals appeared to wear large quantities of gold that he had stumbled upon the rich coast.
Over the years, in a region that has seen a lot of instability and a lack of democracy – Costa Rica has stood out from the crowd and tried to lead and be an example of how the Central American countries can be run.
Also rich in Latin traditions and treasured pasts, the country isn’t as wealthy as it first appeared. However, it is in more modern times that Costa Rica has been writing new history and making very strong statements.
Costa Rica is at the forefront of renewable energy production in Central America. One of the major things contributing to a national debt is their heavy investment into making the country’s energy supply as green as possible, and reducing their carbon footprint.
In 2015, running off purely renewable energy sources such as wind, hydro power, solar and geothermal energy – Costa Rica was able to provide energy for 299 days. An incredible feat, which they tried to match in 2016, but were unable having used anything but fossil fuels for 271 days that year. Excluding the fossil fuels put in cars and gas for heating – this covered every other energy exertion.
2017 saw Costa Rica beat their 2015 record by one day as Costa Rica ran off of clean energy for 300 days of the year. There are not many, if any, countries that can boast a percentage that high.
Costa Rica’s size helps with its production. It is a fairly small country with a population
The Small Central American country is ahead of the world trend and nearly 100% green