Today, we ended our time in La Fortuna and journeyed to Monteverde. On the way, we stopped at a wind farm, with wind mills as far as the eye can see. Afterward, we went on another coffee tour, where we learned about their low impact efforts. Finally, we did a night hike at our hotel. At the wind farm, while our hair was blowing all around, we learned a lot about the infrastructure. The structures, often imported, were surrounded by pastures, because the land needs to be cleared for wind mills. We also noted that some weren’t moving because you don’t need to run them all the time. When lakes are low and hydroelectricity is low, the windmills are used more. When there’s high water, there’s low evaporation and low energy, and it’s relied on more again. Many forms of renewable energy are not 100% reliable. Costa Rica has a strong balance. With their land size and diverse nature, they are able to rely on geothermal, hydroelectric, solar, or wind energy when another is lacking. However, this is not without its faults. This is largely due to the amount of energy sources they have to pull from and their smaller size, but there are still periods of blackouts when they cannot produce enough energy. In these cases, they rely on fossil fuels, making up 1% of their energy sources here. A blackout is expected here soon, actually.

They have diversified their energy choices in case water runs low, wind stops blowing, etc. When they aren’t running low, what they’re not using can be stored in batteries. They can slow down water in turbine and stop wind mills at night, when less energy is demanded. The US struggles with renewable energy because it’s too big to distribute and diversify properly. Additionally, many people are against it all together. With the rise of data centers, it’s important to figure this out. While it would not be as easy for the US to implement, we could learn from Costa Rica and their energy sources. It has a less of an effect on the environment, which is so important these days. However, with their limitations, like their inconsistency and the cost of the infrastructure (like having to clear out lands for wind mills), it’s not as perfect as it seems.