海角大神

Costa Rica at 99 percent renewable: Are others on the same path?

The Central American nation is leading the world in cutting fossil-fuel pollution by relying on hydropower and other forms of renewable energy. Is this a model other countries could follow?

This year, nearly all of Costa Rica鈥檚 electricity came from renewable sources, according to the state electricity agency.

The Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) said in a statement Friday that it achieved "" so far this year, AFP reports.

Early this year, the Costa Rican government announced that the country had been running fully on renewable energy for the first 75 days of 2015. At the time, it set a target to run 97.1 percent on geothermal, wind, biomass and solar sources for the rest of the year.

However, as 海角大神 reported, Costa Rica鈥檚 dedication to renewable energy was at least partially out of necessity. "Along with several other聽Caribbean and Central American nations, Costa Rica had to scramble to find an alternative source of energy as Venezuela 鈥撀爓hich sold oil to neighboring nations at a discounted price for years 鈥� went bankrupt."

So far, it鈥檚 not clear whether this year's declining oil prices have particularly affected the country鈥檚 efforts for renewable.

Energy consultant聽 that crude oil鈥檚 drop in price has highlighted the attractiveness of renewable energy鈥檚 relative isolation from fossil-fuel price fluctuations.

Crude oil prices aren't the only factor influencing the pace of renewable energy efforts, according to Mr. Le. 鈥淔actors such as legislative mandates, competitive substitutes, and varying regional impact must also be considered.鈥�

The Central American nation is just one of many nations around the world that is getting behind renewable energy.

Recently, India, the world鈥檚 third-largest carbon polluter, unveiled a plan that aims to make its economy more energy-efficient and to cut carbon emissions. In this significant shift, the Indian government said that it also intends to produce about 40 percent of its electricity in 2030 from 鈥渘on-fossil-fuel based sources鈥� .

Renewable energy now powers nearly . Over the past decade, the South American nation has drastically reduced its carbon footprint 鈥渨ithout government subsidies or higher consumer costs,鈥� the country鈥檚 National Director of Energy Ram贸n M茅ndez told The Guardian earlier this month.

The Swedish government in September took a major step to move the country away from fossil fuels. The country allocated 4.5 billion kronor (about $545 million) in its for green-energy infrastructure, at home and abroad.

Nordic countries already lead the world in renewable energy. Sweden generates around through renewable sources, according to the Independent. Norway and Iceland rank even higher, even though Norway is also Europe's biggest oil producer.

In July, Denmark generated demand from wind power, reported the Guardian.

In the US, earlier this year, Hawaii鈥檚 Gov. David Ige that sets the state鈥檚 renewable energy goal at 100 percent by 2045.

That means, in 30 years, Hawaii should be running only on electricity made by renewable energy, possibly a mix of solar, wind, and geothermal power.

Though Hawaii鈥檚 goal of 100 percent renewable energy is the most ambitious of any American state, other states are also setting timelines for changing energy generation mix.

California, for instance, has pledged to .

The city of Burlington, Vt., now gets 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources.聽This is part of the state's grander goal to produce 90 percent of its energy from renewable resources by 2050, including electricity, heating, and transportation.

According to by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) Renewable Electricity Futures Study, renewable energy could provide 80 Percent of all US electricity generation by 2050.