Renewable energy in Costa Rica

Renewable energy in Costa Rica accounts for an average of 90% of the energy output for the entire nation.[1] As of 2014, 99% of its electrical energy was derived from renewable energy sources, about 80% of which from hydroelectric power.[2] As a country, Costa Rica has a geographic advantage over others in that its high concentration per capita of rivers, dams, and volcanoes allow for a high renewable energy output. In addition, Costa Rica is the fourth highest nation in terms of rainfall per capita: it receives an average of 2,926mm of precipitation per year.[3] As a smaller nation with a population of only 5 million and no major industry, the need for strong energy infrastructure is less than for larger countries of higher population density. The 1948 elimination of the military of Costa Rica also allows that the government does not need to spend millions of dollars on the defense budget and instead invests in social programs and renewable energy generation.[1] As president of Costa Rica in 1948, José Figueres announced that the nation's former military budget would be refocused specifically in healthcare, education, and environmental protection.[4]

While Costa Rica's largest source of energy is hydroelectricity, other sources include geothermal energy, biomass, solar power, and wind power.[2]

Sources

Hydroelectricity

Costa Rica receives about 80% of its energy from hydroelectric plants alone due to its extreme amounts of rainfall and multiple rivers.[5] As the largest source of energy, hydropower alone can generate nearly enough energy to power the whole country.

Dams

Costa Rica’s largest dams include The Lake Arenal Dam, Lake Cachi Dam, the Rio Macho Dam, the Birris Dam, and the proposed El Diquís Hydroelectric Project. The Lake Arenal Dam was built in 1979 as the first dam intended solely for hydroelectric power usage. It is located on Lake Arenal next to the famous Arenal Volcano, one of the major tourist attractions in Costa Rica. At about 33 square miles wide, it provides enough electricity to power 12% of the entire country.[6] The Lake Cachi, Rio Macho, and Birris Dams are all powered by the Rio Reventazon (Reventazón River) and its tributaries. The Cachi dam is situated on an artificial lake that was built in the 1970's and produces enough energy to power about 330,000 homes in Costa Rica. It also controls floods and provides recreational activities in the lake. Upstream of Cachi, the Rio Macho hydroelectric power plant has been operating since 1963 to provide hydroelectric power for central Costa Rica.[7] On the downstream, the Birris dam is one of the largest dams in Costa Rica and has the potential to power 160,000 homes. It also employes 3,000 Costa Ricans and provides drinking water to 40% of the metropolitan city area. The "El Disquís Hydroelectric Project" is a proposed hydroelectric system that Costa Rica plans to build by 2018 as the largest Central American hydroelectric plant. This plant will also be located on the Reventazón River and will provide the nation with 631MW, enough energy to reach at least one million consumers.[8]

Geothermal power

Geothermal power is a natural energy source that provides subterranean heat and power as a byproduct of volcanic energy. Costa Rica has six currently active volcanoes and dozens of inactive volcanoes.[9] Unlike many other forms of renewable energy, geothermal can be continuously generated and is not dependent on weather. Geothermal energy contributes to about 15 percent of the energy in the country.[10]

Plants

The North Volcanic Mountain Ridge in Guanacaste is the region of Costa Rica with the most potential for geothermal power generation. Volcanoes in the region include Miravalles, Rincón de la Vieja, and Tenorio.

The Miravalles Geothermal Field, opened in 1994, contains five plants and results in the production of 14% of the National Electric System's power capacity, or about 163 MW.[11] The Pailas Geothermal Power Plant, established in July 2011, produces a total of 55MW[12] and is located just outside Rincón de la Vieja National Park. Rincón de la Vieja is a 600,000 year old volcano and the largest in the northwestern region of Costa Rica. In 2014, Costa Rica's government approved legislation for a $958 million geothermal project in the region to offset the country's reliance on hydropower.[13]

Wind power

While Costa Rica is not known specifically for its wind power, there have been a few different wind energy projects developed in the past decade. In March 2015, The Costa Rican Institute of Electricity stated that they plan on doubling the installed wind capacity in the nation by 2017.[14] As of 2011, only 2.1% of energy produced in the nation came from wind power.[15]

Wind Power is primarily used in Costa Rica during the months of December to March, or the dry season. During this period, there is a general decreased rainfall in the nation and hydropower output decreases.

Farms

Currently, there are nine large wind farms operating in Costa Rica. The Tejona Wind Power Project (TWPP) is a 19.8 MW project, fully operational since 2003, that consists of thirty wind turbines. Most recently, Tila Wind, an even larger 20-MW farm, opened in 2015. Three of the remaining eight are owned by ICE and Compania Nacional de Fuerza y Luz SA (CNFL) and CoopeSantos RL. The remaining five are privately owned, and nearly all of the wind power plants are in the province of Guanacaste.[14]

Solar power

Like wind power, solar power is another newer energy source in the country. Costa Rica's proximity to the equator and high frequency of sunny days provides high solar power potential. The first solar power projects in the country were established in 1978 by just a few researchers from public universities at the Solar Power Laboratory at the National University. Though still on a smaller scale and mostly privately owned, plans for larger more commercial projects are beginning to break through.[16]

Biomass

As of 2011, only .25% of energy produced in Costa Rica came from biomass. The Jorge Manuel Dengo Obregon National Development Plan proposes the development of sustainable biomass for energy. Currently, biomass is primarily used for cooking and heating kitchen appliances to reduce the reliance on petroleum in the household.[15]

Energy organizations

ICE

Although the first large-scale hydroelectric station began to function at the beginning of the 1900s, large-scale hydroelectric power and electricity did not begin to be developed until the formation of Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (Costa Rica Electricity Institute) in 1949. The Costa Rica Electricity Institute (ICE) is one of the largest companies in Costa Rica. This company has had a monopoly over all of the electricity generation in the nation since its birth. ICE owns nearly all of the large dams in the nation and generates most of the Costa Rican’s hydroelectric power.[17]

ACOPE

Asociación Costarricense de Productores de Energía (ACOPE) was founded in 1989 and represents more than 40 private hydroelectric, wind, and biomass units generating in the country. Though there are a few large private energy companies in Costa Rica, most primarily generate power to sell to ICE.

Consorcio Nacional de Empresas de Electrificacion de Costa Rica

Consorcio Nacional de Empresas de Electrificacion de Costa Rica (Conelectricas), formed in 1989, is a union that aims to develop hydroelectric projects. The union consists of four smaller agencies: Coopeguanacaste, R.L, Coope Alfaro Ruiz, R.L, Coopelesca, R.L, and Coopesantos, R.L. Together, these four cooperatives provide electricity to around 500,000 people, or 22% of the country.[15]

2015: 75 days of renewable energy

At the start of January 2015, Costa Rica’s 4.9 million person population ran entirely on renewable energy power for 75 days straight. This was a record-breaking achievement in that Costa Rica was the first nation to power itself completely clean of fossil fuels for this long of a timeframe. This summer was an exceptionally rainy one for Costa Rica: while usually the dry season, the sheer amount of power provided from an unusually high amount of precipitation led to a higher than usual amount of hydroelectricity generated.[5]

Carbon neutrality

Costa Rica aims to be 100% carbon neutral by 2021.[17] Apart from relying 99% on renewable resources, carbon neutrality is achieved by adopting electric and hybrid transportation.[18] In addition, the Costa Rican government is also beginning to offset the country's carbon dioxide emissions with new budgeting, laws, and incentives, including measures to promote biofuels, hybrid vehicles, and clean energy. Another way of offsetting emissions will be a "C-Neutral" tax which will certify that ecotourism and other industrial practices are offsetting their carbon emissions. At $10 per one ton of carbon, the money will fund conservation, reforestation, and research.[19]

Legislation

As of November 2015, the office of governing Citizen Action Party legislator is working on a bill allowing geothermal electricity development in national parks. In turn, the ICE would compensate land used for the projects with land outside the parks. The bill addresses concerns over geothermal electricity generation in Rincón de la Vieja, Tenorio, and Arenal Volcano national parks.[20]

Conflicts

Transportation

The biggest obstacle to carbon neutrality is the transportation sector. Vehicles consume 70% of the petroleum consumed in the nation, which is 40% of the total carbon emissions. The primary mode of public transportation are Diesel powered buses. More than 50% of Costa Rica's personal passenger cars are over 20 years old with high polluting engines, though the government is beginning to propose new hybrid vehicle initiatives. Other proposed solutions include trains, gondolas, and trollies in the metropolitan Costa Rican Central Valley.[21]

Reliability

Though hydroelectricity from dams is a high-density and high-power energy source, it is also highly dependent on weather conditions. Hydropower is reliant on rainfall and is therefore not the most reliable form of energy during seasons of drought. After an extreme season of drought in 2014, Costa Rica was forced to resort to diesel generators since sufficient rainfall was unavailable to power any of the hydroelectric dams.[1]

Wind and solar are both energy sources that are highly dependent on weather conditions and have therefore been used on a much smaller scale than both hydroelectric and geothermal energy.[5]

Environmental and Social Impact

One main barrier to extensive geothermal power is the abundance of national parks and protected areas that prevent excavation near many of Costa Rican’s volcanoes. For example, though Rincon de la Vieja has the potential to fuel a high density of geothermal energy, Costa Rican law currently prohibits the extraction of resources inside national parks in order to preserve the land.[11] Hydroelectric dams have also been criticized for their effects on the surrounding ecosystems. Controversy around hydroelectric dam usage stems from both environmental impact on a surrounding region and from human displacement of land. Hydroelectric dams have been equated to interference in fish migration patterns, ecosystem disrupt, interference in water quality, and land degradation from flooding the land.[22]

The Birris dam especially caused much controversy regarding the displacement of people who lived in the area, especially in relation to the indigenous peoples of Costa Rica. Though dams provide job opportunities for locals, they also displace large populations of humans.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The truth behind Costa Rica’s renewable energy | Lindsay Fendt". the Guardian. Retrieved 2015-11-23.
  2. 1 2 "Costa Rica Is 99% Powered By Renewable Energy - MetaEfficient". MetaEfficient. Retrieved 2015-11-23.
  3. ↑ "Costa Rica Geography Facts & Stats". www.nationmaster.com. Retrieved 2015-11-30.
  4. ↑ Barash, David P. (2013-12-15). "Costa Rica's peace dividend: How abolishing the military paid off". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2015-11-30.
  5. 1 2 3 "Water, Fire, and Costa Rica’s Carbon-Zero Year So Far". WIRED. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  6. ↑ "Lake Arenal Dam - Costa Rica". www.arenal.net. Retrieved 2015-11-14.
  7. 1 2 "hydro-costa-rica". www.industcards.com. Retrieved 2015-11-14.
  8. ↑ "Water | Costa Rica's Environment:". blogs.nelson.wisc.edu. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  9. ↑ "Exciting volcanic action happening at Rincon de la Vieja - Enchanting Costa Rica". Enchanting Costa Rica. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  10. ↑ "Costa Rica Has Only Used Renewable Energy For Electricity This Year". IFLScience. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  11. 1 2 Paul Moya, Emilia M. Rodríguez, and Alfredo Mainier, "UTILIZATION OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY IN PROTECTED AREAS OF COSTA RICA" Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad, UEN de Proyectos y Servicios Asociados
  12. ↑ "LAS PAILAS GEOTHERMAL PROJECT". www.eib.org. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  13. ↑ Siegel, RP. "Costa Rica went 100% renewable — then saw energy prices fall". GreenBiz. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  14. 1 2 "Costa Rica to double wind power by 2017 - SeeNews Renewables". renewables.seenews.com. Retrieved 2015-11-14.
  15. 1 2 3 "Home: Observatory for Renewable Energy". renenergyobservatory.org. Retrieved 2015-11-23.
  16. ↑ "Major Solar Energy Project Planned in Guanacaste - Costa Rica Star News". Costa Rica Star News. Retrieved 2015-11-12S. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  17. 1 2 "A renewable power generation primer -". The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  18. ↑ "Go 100% Renewable Energy : Project-DetailView". www.go100percent.org. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  19. ↑ "Costa Rica Aims to Become First "Carbon Neutral" Country | Worldwatch Institute". www.worldwatch.org. Retrieved 2015-11-14.
  20. ↑ "Legislature to hear bill allowing Costa Rica geothermal energy in national parks". The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
  21. ↑ "Costa Rica’s renewable energy streak is still going, but what does that really mean? -". The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  22. ↑ "Hydropower Facts, Hydropower Information- National Geographic". National Geographic. Retrieved 2015-11-23.
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