Costa Rica Powered by Nearly 100% Renewable Energy

Costa Rica aims to have net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and if it's energy production in 2019 is a sign of things to come, then it is well on its way to that goal. The small Central American nation produced the most electricity in its history during the month of May and nearly 100 percent of it was from renewable sources, according to Think Geoenergy. The 984.19 GWh of electricity generation in May surpassed all historical counts and it meant that Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (ICE), the state-owned power and telecoms provider, stopped buying energy from the Regional Electricity Market and instead started selling electricity back to other Central American nations in the marketplace, as Think Geoenergy reported. The May numbers are a crucial milestone since nearly 75 percent of the nation's renewable energycomes from hydropower produced in rivers and Costa Rica was in the midst of a historic drought before the rainy season started in May. "This achievement is the result of the planning and optimization of resources of the national matrix, which protects its regulatory reservoirs in dry periods – like the one just faced – while increasing the geothermal quota," said ICE in a statement, according to Think Geoenergy.