solar

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 sixth-grade class at St. Jude’s School in Lindora, Santa Ana, west of San José, capped off their school year with a project that allowed them to learn about alternative energy as a fuel by making their own little hybrid cars powered by solar energy and batteries.

There is much to commemorate: Not only does Jorge Washington turn 75 years old this month, but it is allegedly the first urban public school in Costa Rica to harness solar power effectively.

Organized by the Costa Rican Solar Energy Association (Asociaciόn Costarricense de Energía Solar, or ACESOLAR), the event will feature a wide variety of firms that will present their products, including systems for heating water and photovoltaic systems for generating electricity, according to ACESOLAR board member Mauricio Solano.

Despite Costa Rica’s talk of its commitment to promoting consumer-based renewable energy sources to produce electricity, the country is lagging in its efforts. One setback involves the country’s electricity distributors, who some say are dragging their feet on requirements to offer customers the option of connecting to the national grid with small-scale electricity generation projects from renewable sources.

Small-scale energy production, such as solar panels, saw a regulatory hurdle removed that could help combat late-dry season energy rationing and reduce the country’s reliance on petroleum. The country’s electricity regulator, the Public Services Regulatory Authority, announced a series of changes on Wednesday.