Renewable Energy heavy-weight Costa Rica has reported a stellar May for its renewable energy output.
The rugged, rainforested Central American country reported that for May 2019 it produced 99.99% of its electricity from renewable energies. The figures, revealed by the National Energy Control Center (Cence), and the National Electric System (SEN) now officially exceeded all previous monthly totals.
Cachí Hydroelectric Power Plant
In total Costa Rica generated a record-breaking 984.19 GWh of electricity across 31 days in May. The previous record of 976.84 GWh was set during October 2017.
In fact, so much energy was produced that Costa Rica was able to suspend importing energy from the Regional Electricity Market (MER) at the end of the first week of May and began exporting surplus green energy across the region from May 11th.
The achievement is impressive as May is a transitional period between the dry and wet seasons. Typically the country sees its largest electricity generation of the year in the second half of the year due to heavy rain.
Out of the 984.19 GWh of electricity generated, 80.04% came from Hydroelectric; 12.9% by geothermal energy, 6.99% by wind and 0.06% by biomass and solar energy. Only 0.01% was generated with polluting thermal backup.
The Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (ICE) has explained that it was able to achieve the new output by changing how it plans and optimises the national grid, changes to how it protects reservoirs in dry periods, and increasing the geothermal electricity output.
