New York state officials say small-scale power production is the wave of the future. The big power plants will still be there, and the local utility will still run wires to your house. But your power supply will be a mix of what you and your neighbors produce from technology like rooftop solar and what you buy from the electrical grid.
A top State Department official in Washington, D.C. said Central America — which relies heavily on diesel and fuel oil for power generation — is now in an ideal position to cut electricity costs by introducing alternative sources like natural gas and renewable energy.
Costa Rica is celebrated around the world for its “green,” pro-environment image. This week, the Green Building Council of Costa Rica is helping to launch a new certification system here that will help builders and homeowners manifest that reputation.
Everyone in the world is impressed that Costa Rica generated 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources for the first 75 days of this year. Just imagine how impressed they would be – and how proud we could be – if we were able to do that every day of every year.
“It was a short meeting but very good,” Solís told reporters. The two leaders touched on the environment, renewable energy, security and U.S. investment in Costa Rica.
Chang said he's been waiting for the past seven months for the state-owned oil refinery to sign off on the final stage of a jointly-developed hydrogen fuel project. In early March, he threw in the towel.
Workers from the state-run Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) on Thursday finished placing the last layer of rock and earth that will support the Reventazón hydroelectric project, which when completed will become the largest in Central America.
Andrew thinks Costa Rica's Guanacaste region is ideal for growing pongamia, thanks to the northwestern province's hot, dry climate. Parts of Guatemala, a leading producer of palm oil, also are well suited to the leguminous tree, which requires less water and fertilizer than other crops, she said.
Nearly every single Costa Rican surveyed by the United Nations Development Program said they agreed the climate is changing, and more than 90 percent said that humans are at least partially responsible. The survey results released Monday also showed that Costa Ricans would be willing to pay more to reduce their impact on the planet.
The idea was simple: build a house on the land where I grew up, but responsibly. We weren’t going to cut down a single tree or bush. We would do everything possible to not only have a carbon-neutral, but also a carbon-negative footprint, and be both environmentally responsible and self-sufficient.
