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

under30experiences.com

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

#51
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…

I believe one of the reasons is they don't have defense spending per-se. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Force_of_Costa_Rica#His... They let the US handle all of that for them, and they spend funds on power. This isn't to say that they're an infrastructure paradise. A region I visited had poor roads and internet connectivity.

This is my understanding. With the US supporting them, it makes certain things a bit easier. I've also visited and depending where you go, it certainly isn't some kind of sci-fi utopia. Crime and poverty are still tragically rampant. But we should certainly celebrate their renewable achievement as that's a massive victory for any nation.

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

#52
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…

Tiny country that has very little industry?

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

#54
"That means the government did not burn any oil, coal, or natural gas to power the country."

This is a new low for HN to upvote such garbage, but at least they edited the headline which originally was:

"Costa Rica Has Run on 100% Renewable Energy for 299 Days".

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

#55
post #2

Portugal also got good results recently: "Renewables produce 79.5% of Portugal's power in Q1 2021" https://renewablesnow.com/news/renewables-produce-795-of-por...

Impressive. Especially since Q1 is often one of the lesser quarters for solar and wind. Some sunny&cold spring days will boost solar, though.

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

#56
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

You sound bitter.

Got a source for that accusation?

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

#58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

they're tiny, non-industrial, and they don't track brownouts

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.

It might not be bad for you but it's pretty rough on your AC motors like fridge compressor etc. Most of them are constant power machines - a voltage drop means a current rise means a hot winding means a failed motor.

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

#60

This is meaningless on a global scale. Globally, we've added more mega watts of coal power for decades. Doesn't look like it is stopping anytime soon. https://www.carbonbrief.org/mapped-worlds-coal-power-plants

This is not meaningless. It is an important data-point. One that clearly proves it is possible. One that teaches what works and what not. Those data-points are crucial for other countries or political groups to be swayed and convinced.

It may be meaningless for global greenhouse-gas emission reduction in itself, true. But for "the movement" it is an important milestone.

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