¡Monteverde, te llegué! Today was yet another travel day… yippee! i was told the drive was very windy and makes a lot of people motion sick… it definitely did. I felt horribly nauseous and was almost unable to do our activities. Today we stopped at turbines to learn about renewable energy and a coffee farm for a service project. After we made it to our hotel, which is incredibly beautiful, it just keeps getting better and better. After we also went on a night hike where we got to see multiple tarantulas, frogs, bugs, and birds.

Today, we stopped at turbines, where we learned about the renewable energy in Costa Rica. We learned that they use geothermic, solar, wind, and hydroelectric for most of its energy, rarely using fossil fuels (though it’s still used).  Although most of their energy is renewable, their first turbines were put in during the late 1990s, pretty recent. Despite this, there are currently 106 turbines in Costa Rica from Denmark, Spain, and the USA. 60% of Costa Rica’s electricity comes from hydroelectricity while geothermic and wind are tied at 15%. After this quick stop we were back on the road to visit Life Monteverde, where we had lunch (besides me due to how nauseous I was) and then got a tour of the farm. While on the tour, we helped plant beans and corn next to some coffee trees, as when they are younger you can intercrop. My job was to simply rake away the weeds and stuff that the others dug up. After being put to work we tasted five different coffees and got to guess what roast it was and which bean. If we got it wrong we had to come back in 3 months to harvest what we planted… haha. I am not coming back in 3 months. After, we came to our hotel, which is very nice, and headed straight to a night hike. I got to see some cute frogs and sleeping birds, but I also saw a tarantula. I am not a fan of spiders but I was reassured that the tarantula would not leave its house and would not attack me.

Renewable energy may sound easy and like a better option for electricity, but it also comes with its challenges. Relying on nature comes with its risks. The wind stops, the sun sets, but fossil fuels are always there. This basically goes into the challenge of there not being enough of the natural source. For example, 60% of Costa Rica’s electricity comes from hydroelectricity, and droughts reduce this output. When this happens wind and geothermal have to fill the gaps, and if those are not enough then they resort to fossil fuels, which is only about 5% of their electricity. If you only rely on one natural source, like wind or hydroelectric, then you could easily lose electricity if there isn’t enough. That is why diversifying the energy sources is important. Then in the US, renewable energy is also a political issue and transmission is a big barrier. We are unable to transmit the energy to the whole country, and some states have more droughts or less wind, making it harder for them to contribute to the renewable energy. Renewable energy however has many advantages that make it worth pursuing. It is better for the environment, as it produces significantly less pollution than fossil fuels. Renewable sources are also naturally replenishing, meaning they will not run out the way fossil fuels will. The long term benefits clearly outweigh the upfront challenges.

Although I felt sick today, it was nice to visit a new area of Costa Rica. I also saw some coati, a raccoon-like animal native to Costa Rica, which really made my day, as I’ve been wanting to see that and a sloth this whole trip. Only two (three including flying) more days!! Y así, Monteverde me recibió.