In the global battle against climate change, renewable targets have been an indispensable weapon. National, state and local governments have set targets for renewable power and continue to raise the bar as those targets are met. While many people dream of a world powered by 100 percent renewable sources, only a few of the world’s governments have approached or reached that milestone.


This year, Costa Rica entered that elite group. In March, the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (ICE) announced that the small Central American country had been deriving all of its electricity from renewable sources since 2015 began. According to the state-run utility, power was generated from a mix of sources. Most of the country’s power comes from hydroelectric, but a significant amount also comes from geothermal sources. The remainder of its renewable generation can be attributed to wind and solar.


Because hydroelectric power makes up such a large part of its portfolio, the ICE credits the success in reaching the 100 percent milestone mostly to heavy rainfall and water levels well above projections at the nation’s four main reservoirs.


These conditions have made it “unnecessary to use oil to fuel the country’s grid,” according to the ICE.


Not only has Costa Rica been providing clean power, but also it has been selling it cheaply. The abundance of renewable power made it possible to lower rates by 12 percent in April, and regulators project that trend to continue in the second quarter of the year, by as much as another 15 percent.


Costa Rica is not the first to approach or reach 100 percent renewables. Many other, mostly small countries have already done so. In January, the city of Burlington, Vt., announced that it powered up entirely on renewables, becoming the first municipality in the United States to accomplish this feat.