8th Grade Students Guanacaste, Costa Rica La Paz Community School Renewable Energy In Costa Rica

●tropical region in northwestern Costa Rica ●mostly dry tropical forest ●two main seasons; dry and rainy ●average temperature varies from 32-36ºC (90-96ºF) photo credit: Coralie Merciercostaricarealestate.com Guanacaste

Impacts of Energy Generation renewable vs. non-renewable different energy generation sources contribute differently to climate change. energydigital.comPhoto Credit: Costa Rica Newsconserve-energy-future Geothermal Energy Hydroelectric Energy Fossil Fuel

●when you burn carbon based fuel (fossil fuel) it turns into carbon dioxide ●carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere ○one of the biggest causes of climate change ○transparent gas that absorbs infrared radiation (heat) from the sun ○trapped within the earth’s atmosphere, affecting climate change houghtpursuits.com Ctvnews.ca

Pros: uses the heat from the earth it is clean and sustainable can be released without burning fossil fuels Cons: the releases of hydrogen sulfide the disposal of some geothermal fluids, which may contain low levels of toxic materials Geothermal ucsusa.org

Pros: creates energy using the movement of water to turn turbines it releases the lowest amount of greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into the atmosphere Cons: dams that are not well built can negatively affect the ecosystem Hydroelectric robertsoncooper.com

Renewable Energy Sources in Costa Rica solar, wind, and geothermal energy approximately 90% of Costa Rica’s energy is clean hydroelectric plants, volcanoes, rivers, mountains and other natural resources 73% from hydroelectric energy, 13% from geothermal energy, 4% from wind turbines energyquest.ca geothermalenergy.com gmsolaren theenergystory

Costa Rica’s Accomplishments and Goals 94 consecutive days running on only renewable energy in the year 2015 planning to add more hydro, geothermal and wind power plants in 2017 carbon neutral by 2021 ticotimes.com treehugger.com riotscience.com

Steps to achieving carbon neutrality Coopeguanacaste and ICE are main electricity companies in Costa Rica. Attempting to increase sustainable energy sources and decrease the use of fossil fuels and non-renewable energy Projects: increasing numbers of wind farms and solar panels to provide sustainable energy Coopeguanacaste R.L.portal.grupoice.com guachipelin.com

Potential solutions within the region: Wind Turbines Pros: Guanacaste is a windy area that will produce enough energy to pay off the wind turbines They will last about 80 years Cons: Very expensive Threat to the wildlife news.co.cr

Potential solutions within the region: Solar Panels Pros: Guanacaste receives lots of sunlight Low environmental impact Cons: solar panels are expensive require maintenance lobalasia.com

Sustainable Energy Use at La Paz we have solar panels currently installed at La Paz our carbon offset for the month of December was the equivalent of 6 trees last year we produced 3.48 MWh

Sustainable Energy Use at La Paz ●need times more solar panels or 4400 kwh to work off of completely sustainable energy and to give back to the grid or give energy back to the company ●to get more panels would cost roughly $150,000 ●it would take 8-10 years to pay this off ●good investment for the future

Obstacles to a increased renewable energy Individual Finances: some renewable energies are too expensive for individuals Business Profits: clean energy may reduce profits for corporations Strikes: energy price increase can lead to public outcry and anger Reliability: renewable energy is not as reliable fossil fuel portal.grupoice.com guachipelin.com eco.com

Conclusion

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