Costa Rica powers itself using only renewable energy

The country achieved a record of 75 days in a row using 100 per cent renewable energy.

This was possible thanks to rainfall, which powered four hydroelectric plants in the first three months of the year and no fossil fuels have been burnt to generate electricity since December 2014.

Last year 80 per cent of the energy used in the country came from hydropower and geothermal energy represented about 10 per cent of the mix. Currently 94 per cent of Costa Rica’s energy needs are met by renewables.

The World Economic Forum ranked the country second in Latin America, for its electricity and telecommunications infrastructure in the 2014 Global Competitiveness Index.

Costa Rica is committed keep using renewable energy and the government decided not to exploit rich oil deposits discovered along the country’s Caribbean coast and that will not happen for environmental reasons.

All these efforts help Costa Rica to become carbon-neutral by 2021.