Costa Rica powered by renewable energy for over 100 days

The Latin American country is now aiming for a year without fossil fuels

Wednesday 31 August 2016 08:27

Solar panels, including this one in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, produced a small portion of this 98.1 per cent renewable energy

(Joe Raedle/Getty)

Costa Rica has powered its electricity grid for over 100 days entirely by renewable energy.

The Latin American country has been run on renewable energy for 121 days and is now aiming for a year without fossil fuels.

Last year, renewable energy sources accounted for 99 per cent of the country's electricity and 285 days were powered completely by renewable sources, Inhabitat reports, citing the Costa Rican Electricity Institute.

Climate change protests around the world

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1/25Climate change protests around the world

People rally to promote climate protection in Rome, Italy

Hundreds of demonstrators gather in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California

EPA

People hold hands to form a human chain during a gathering called by ecologist organisations in Marseille, southern France, to protest against global warming a day ahead of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP21) held in Paris

Demonstrators clash with French riot police during protests on Place de la Republique, ahead of the COP21 World Climate Change Conference 2015 in Paris, France

Demonstrators clash with French riot police during a protest on Place de la Republique ahead of the COP21 World Climate Change Conference 2015 in Paris, France

A group of people perform during a rally to promote climate protection in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

A protester sits next to his sign that reads 'Monsanto the Devil Incorporated ' as he joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California

EPA

Environmentalists dance during a protest near the Place de la Republique after the cancellation of a planned climate march following shootings in the French capital, ahead of the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21), in Paris, France

Reuters

People protest next to characters dressed as wild animals during a march against climate change near the Monument to the Revolution, in Mexico City

AP

Protesters carries a banner while they take part in a protest about climate change at New York City Hall steps in lower Manhattan, New York

Reuters

People take part in a protest about climate change around New York City Hall at lower Manhattan, New York

Reuters

People rally to promote climate protection in Piazza Castello, Turin, Italy

A woman holds a globe during a protest for the global climate day in Lugano, Switzerland

Yemenis hold banners as they participate in the Global March for Climate in the old city of Sanaía, Yemen

Protesters dressed as Santa Claus take part in a protest about climate change at New York City Hall steps in lower Manhattan, New York

Reuters

People gather at the Legislative Palace in Montevideo, during the Global Climate March to demand action on climate change telling world leaders on the eve of a crunch UN summit that there is "no planet B". From Sydney to London, humid Rio to chilly New York, at least 683,000 hit the streets in 2,300 events across 175 countries at the weekend, co-organiser and campaign group Avaaz said, calling it the largest number of people to protest over climate change all at once

Getty Images

Demonstrators participate in the Global March for Climate in Athens, Greece

A man wearing a Bernie Sanders mask leads hundreds of demonstrators who marched near City Hall in Los Angeles, California

EPA

Patricia Hauser joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California

A woman holds a poster of a sick Earth as she joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California

EPA

Hundreds of demonstrators march around City Hall in Los Angeles, California

EPA

A demonstrator holds cut-out of US Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders as she joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California

EPA

George Patten holds a sign that reads 'No Fracking Ever!' as he joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California

EPA

Gabrielle Sosa wears 'Rising Sea Levels' sign as she joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California

EPA

The majority of the nation's renewable energy came from hydroelectric power plants and a combination of wind, solar and geothermal energy.

In Europe, renewables account for over half of the Sweden's energy. In 2015, Sweden's prime minister announced his country would work towards becoming "one of the first fossil fuel-free welfare states of the world".

Last year, Denmark's wind farms supplied 140 per cent of demand, in an achievement hailed as "the key to stop global warming".

Earlier this year, Portugal hit a significant milestone in its bid to become entirely reliant on renewable energy after running for 107 hours without using any fossil fuels.

The nation previously relied heavily on coal and natural gas, but has made a considerable effort to increase its use of solar, wind and hydro power in recent years.

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Renewable energy is making waves in Europe

In 2009, an EU directive set a target of 31 per cent share for renewable energy sources to be part of Portugal's energy mix by 2020.

Only Sweden, Austria, Latvia and Finland are expected to have a higher share by 2020 - while the UK, comparatively, has a target of 15 per cent.

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