Costa Rica Looks to New Energy Sources to Satisfy Needs

algae for fuel?
Marine Algae May Become a New Source of Energy to Costa Rica.

The price of fuel has doubled in the last year, and experts expect prices to reach an almost unbelievable $143 per barrel by the end of 2008. Faced with soaring prices, both companies and private individuals have had to curtail spending and look for solutions to current problems. And in the midst of this economic crisis and rising energy costs, ICE, Costa Rica’s state-owned power company, is looking for new energy sources to fuel the country.

As the need for new forms of energy creation become more intense and immediate, Costa Rica has mobilized to meet these concerns. In a country known for bureaucracy and too much paperwork, restrictions have actually been reduced, allowing ICE to build future hydroelectric power plants an incredible 37.5% faster. In addition, new emphasis has been placed on geothermic development, and the use of bio digesters, which allow for organic material to ferment, creating natural gas. ICE, in addition to several other nationwide agencies and private companies, are also considering the use of alternative energy sources, like solar power and even the use of marine algae.

Hoping to avoid renting out costly facilities and operating thermic plants, while still meeting the increasing energy demands of a developed country, ICE has involved itself in several alternative projects, investing about $3.12 million in their development. The company hopes to have guaranteed alternative energy supplies in place by 2021.

Currently, Costa Rica receives the majority of its electricity from renewable sources: 75% comes from hydroelectric power, 13.7% comes from geothermic generation, 3% is derived from wind power, and 0.2% from biological sources. A very small percentage of the country uses solar energy. However, despite this impressive list of renewable energy resources, Costa Rica also received 8% of its energy supply from hydrocarbons last year, spending an incredible $142 million last year on just this 8% alone. Though predictions for 2008 show the same percentage reliance on hydrocarbons, these astronomical costs are what ICE is trying to reduce with their alternative energy programs.

If goals are completed by 2021, ICE predicts that Costa Rica’s energy sources will be twice as efficient as those already in place. However, despite this encouraging outlook, it is important to note that electricity accounts for only 20% of the country’s energy needs. The other 80% comes thanks to bio-mass, like firewood and hydrocarbons, mainly for transportation. To combat this gasoline and diesel consumption, the Costa Rican government has recently taken some important baby steps to ween its public off of such fuel. New driving restrictions will be put into place in the next two weeks, as reported earlier today, and the tax on gasoline continues to rise.

As the world continues to change, and fossil fuels become an even more expensive commodity, Costa Rica seems prepared to forge new roads and find new solutions. As a perpetual leader for change in Central America, the country’s search for alternative fuels should not end with electricity, but strive for breakthroughs in other important fields, especially alternative transportation possibilities.

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