Nicaragua Joins Clean Energy Revolution, Vows 90% Renewables by 2020
Costa Rica is well-known for its ambitious development of renewable energy, but neighboring country Nicaragua has been charging ahead on renewables, too. The country doesn't produce its own oil and has historically been dependent on foreign imports. But the country is trying to change all of that by tapping into its natural resources—strong winds, bright sunshine and its 19 volcanoes.
#Nicaragua: renewables compose 75% of primary energy supply & 50% of total electricity supply http://t.co/OHYoQ3JsYr http://t.co/VgMoI33mA4— IRENA (@IRENA)1436464832.0
Nicaraguan officials have set goals of 75 percent renewable energy by 2017 and 90 percent by 2020, ProNicaragua reported. An International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) report from January 2015 found that “Nicaragua’s renewable energy sector has a bright future, both for utility-scale and small-scale projects, due to the country’s largely untapped renewable resources.”
Javier Pentzke, manager of Amayo Wind Farm, told NPR his farm's location on the shores of Lake Nicaragua is one of the top places in the world for wind energy. "You have all the opening here from the lake all the way to the Caribbean, so it's like a tunnel," he said. "And it's very steady. It's not too gusty."
As of June 2015, renewables made up 54 percent of all electricity production and 80 percent of the country had reliable access to the grid.
Just 10 years ago, the 64 percent of Nicaraguans with grid access regularly lost power for 4 to 5 hours per day, and only 25 percent of electricity came from renewable sources. Even just a few years ago, 12-hour blackouts were still common. But that's all starting to change.
When Daniel Ortega assumed the presidency in 2007, he made the bold decision to invest heavily in renewables. "During the 2006-2012 period, the Central American country attracted $1.5 million in investment in renewable energy," ProNicaragua reported. "In 2012, Nicaragua invested the fifth highest percentage worldwide of its GDP in developing renewable energy, according to the Renewables 2014 Global Status Report."
According to last year's report from IRENA, from 2006 to 2012, 15 percent of Nicaragua's electricity came from wind, 16 percent from geothermal, 12 percent from hydropower and 7 percent from biomass. ProNicaragua puts the latest wind estimates at 20 to 30 percent of total electricity generation. And the country has barely begun to tap into its solar potential.
This video from NowThis sums up Nicaragua's energy revolution:
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
Costa Rica Powers 285 Days of 2015 With 100% Renewable Energy
Renewable Energy Soars Amid Plummeting Fossil Fuel Prices
World’s First Solar-Hydrogen Residential Development Is 100% Self-Sustaining
By Monir Ghaedi
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to keep most of Europe on pause, the EU aims for a breakthrough in its space program. The continent is seeking more than just a self-sufficient space industry competitive with China and the U.S.; the industry must also fit into the European Green Deal.
European satellites continue to provide data on climate change.
EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
In 2018, a team of researchers went to West Africa's Nimba Mountains in search of one critically endangered species of bat. Along the way, they ended up discovering another.
- Eek! Bat Populations Are Shrinking. Here Are A Few Ways to Help ... ›
- First Bat Removed From U.S. Endangered Species List Helps ... ›
- What We've Lost: The Species Declared Extinct in 2020 - EcoWatch ›
Trending
President-elect Joe Biden is planning to cancel the controversial Keystone XL pipeline on the first day of his administration, a document reported by CBC on Sunday suggests.
- Construction Begins on Keystone XL Pipeline in Montana - EcoWatch ›
- Trump Approves Keystone XL Pipeline, Groups Vow 'The Fight Is ... ›
- Keystone XL Pipeline Construction to Forge Ahead During ... ›
By Jim Palardy
As 2021 dawns, people, ecosystems, and wildlife worldwide are facing a panoply of environmental issues. In an effort to help experts and policymakers determine where they might focus research, a panel of 25 scientists and practitioners — including me — from around the globe held discussions in the fall to identify emerging issues that deserve increased attention.
Ask a Scientist: What Should the Biden Administration and Congress Do to Address the Climate Crisis?
By Elliott Negin
What a difference an election makes. Thanks to the Biden-Harris victory in November, the next administration is poised to make a 180-degree turn to again address the climate crisis.
- Biden Reaffirms Commitment to Rejoining Paris Agreement ... ›
- Joe Biden Appoints Climate Crisis Team - EcoWatch ›
- Biden Plans to Fight Climate Change in a New Way - EcoWatch ›
