With the slogan “Let’s make Costa Rica the happiest country in the world again,” the new president of the country, Rodrigo Chaves (60, economist, liberal, and leader of the Social Democratic Progress Party), was elected with 52.9 percent of the vote in the second round, despite being a true outsider of CR’s traditional politics, seeks to consolidate the country’s position of privilege in the world through the strength of its beautiful people.
Costa Rica’s renewable energy sources account for 98 percent of total power output.
CR always had strong numbers and was known for being “green.” That is, for creating an economy based on renewable energy generation at any costs (solar, wind, hydro, biomass, geothermal mainly).
In 2015, CR’s energy matrix was made up of 98.99 percent renewable energy. 98.21 percent in 2016. In 2017, 99.67 percent of people voted. 98.60 percent in 2018. 99.15 percent in 2019. In the event of a pandemic in 2020, 99.79 percent.
According to the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness’s (IMCO) 2021 International Competitiveness Index (ICI), CR is the country with the highest renewable contribution electricity matrix among the 43 most important economies in the world for attracting, retaining, and generating talent and investment.
They have a state-level decarbonization strategy that involves, among other things, promoting the green hydrogen sector; we hear that the incoming president, Chaves, will stick to that strategy.
With the weight of the post-pandemic, the economy’s growth prospects for 2022 are close to 4%. In comparison to 2021, the rise in industry and commerce will result in an increase in power consumption of around 1%, consuming 11,564 GWh (data from the National Electricity Control Center of CR).
Franklin Chang, the former astronaut, believes that in the next decade, CR “will be considerably richer and cleaner, owing to green hydrogen,” and I agree with him.
Chang is now producing green hydrogen on a modest scale in Liberia, Guanacaste, indicating that the concept works and that it is only a matter of continuing to invest in the CR, one of Latin America’s most strong, stable, liberal, and democratic countries.
CR is now working on electrifying its transportation system in order to avoid spending around 2,000 million dollars per year on fuels that are not even produced in the territory, are fossil fuels, and nevertheless “feed” a large car fleet that emits CO2. The initial steps for an electric connection between Costa Rica and Panama, two top-tier Latin American economies with a keen interest in altering their modes of transportation, have already been taken.
So, in my opinion, the key reason to electrify CR’s transportation system would be to produce green hydrogen, which it already has from the standpoint of renewable energy, but it still needs to electrify its transportation system. Both private and public transportation are available.
