
Costa Rica: 99.48%
Costa Rica, a Central American country whose name means “Rich Coast” in Spanish, has been hailed as a “green energy miracle,” as its electric grid has been run overwhelmingly on renewable energy for more than a decade. 67% of the country’s electric grid runs on hydroelectric power plants, while the others come largely from wind and geothermal power.
Costa Rica has achieved a remarkable feat in generating electricity from renewable sources, largely thanks to the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE). ICE is a state-owned company that provides electricity to the country. It has successfully managed renewable energy projects, such as hydroelectric dams, using a unique governance model that involves the state, municipalities, and cooperatives working together, increasing access to renewable energy to the rural population.
However, as the impact of climate change worsened, the reliance of hydroelectric energy has shown its shortcomings. Due to drought from a lack of proper rainfall, Costa Rica was forced to rely on fossil fuels to power its thermal plants, and even discussed exploration to explore natural gas, a known contributor to global warming. To remain a clean energy paragon, Costa Rica is looking for ways to diversify its energy mix to decrease reliance on hydroelectric power plants.