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Costa Rica Has Run on 100% Renewable Electricity for 299 Days

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Re: Costa Rica Has Run on 100% Renewable Electricity for 299 Days

#21
post #3

Is there an easy answer as to why Costa Rica is doing so well? They seem to be a bit of an exception in Central/South America. EDIT: From Wikipedia "It is known for its long-standing and stable democracy, and for its highly educated workforce, most of whom speak English. The country spends roughly 6.9% of its budget (2016) on education, compared to a global average of 4.4%. Its economy, once heavily dependent on agri…

Costa Rican resident here. Costa Rica invest a lot in renewables. Tourism is a huge income. There are lots of places to visit. Hundreds of volcanoes, 7 active. The climate, it can rain and then sunny...several times a day. Costa Rica exports technology. Intel, MS,Google...Several start ups...lots of outsourcing jobs.

Re: Costa Rica Has Run on 100% Renewable Electricity for 299 Days

#22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I live part-time in Costa Rica. Brownouts occur 1-4x every day. It’s usually just a few seconds and not all that bad. The worst part is when you have to restart the dishwasher.

four brownouts a day is an instant kill for industry despite that you're okay with it, most heavy users of power aren't the reason they're omitting this from the reporting is that the reporting just isn't true

That’s fair. Every grocery store has a massive diesel generator sitting out back. Guess they don’t want their cold foods to spoil.

As a counter point, nearly all brownouts occur after 6 PM. So maybe it affects heavy industry less?

Re: Costa Rica Has Run on 100% Renewable Electricity for 299 Days

#23
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mix of a country well suited for hydropower (+geothermal) and political will. It's obviously easier for a country with lots of hydropower to go 100% renewable, as you have a potentially flexible source that not everyone has.

it's a complete fiction, if you bother to look

Links to sources would go a long way to helping your case.

"That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence." - Christopher Hitchens.

Re: Costa Rica Has Run on 100% Renewable Electricity for 299 Days

#24
post #9

Where did Costa Rica go so right ? In the news it always appears to be a bastion of moderation and success, especially when compared to its neighbours.

Costa Rica is a small nation with favorable geography, a great balance of population and density with some fantastic externalities that let them focus on domestic affairs.

Also, while its nice, its not especially wealthy, nor situated in a way to become an important geopolitical chess-piece.

Re: Costa Rica Has Run on 100% Renewable Electricity for 299 Days

#25
post #3

Is there an easy answer as to why Costa Rica is doing so well? They seem to be a bit of an exception in Central/South America. EDIT: From Wikipedia "It is known for its long-standing and stable democracy, and for its highly educated workforce, most of whom speak English. The country spends roughly 6.9% of its budget (2016) on education, compared to a global average of 4.4%. Its economy, once heavily dependent on agri…

Not pissing off the United States? My understanding is that most Central and some South American countries have had their governments intentionally destabilised by the US because they were perceived as too left wing.

Re: Costa Rica Has Run on 100% Renewable Electricity for 299 Days

#26
post #3

Is there an easy answer as to why Costa Rica is doing so well? They seem to be a bit of an exception in Central/South America. EDIT: From Wikipedia "It is known for its long-standing and stable democracy, and for its highly educated workforce, most of whom speak English. The country spends roughly 6.9% of its budget (2016) on education, compared to a global average of 4.4%. Its economy, once heavily dependent on agri…

It probably helps that pop growth compared to like countries was lower, so they have a more balanced age distribution.

Re: Costa Rica Has Run on 100% Renewable Electricity for 299 Days

#27
post #9

Where did Costa Rica go so right ? In the news it always appears to be a bastion of moderation and success, especially when compared to its neighbours.

by lying about its grid, being non-industrial, and having power demand on par with a city despite having the name of a country

vatican city is pretty green too

Re: Costa Rica Has Run on 100% Renewable Electricity for 299 Days

#28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

it's a complete fiction, if you bother to look

Links to sources would go a long way to helping your case. "That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence." - Christopher Hitchens.

[Flagged]

Re: Costa Rica Has Run on 100% Renewable Electricity for 299 Days

#30
post #9

Where did Costa Rica go so right ? In the news it always appears to be a bastion of moderation and success, especially when compared to its neighbours.

Panama has done pretty well itself after the narcotrafficking president was ousted back in the late 80s.
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