HydropowerWhile Costa Rica has used 1271 MW of its hydropower resources, there are 4531 MW more that could be exploited. Hydropower dams are the leading source of electricity in the country, accounting for 78% of electric power, and making Costa Rica the region's leading producer of clean energy.Geothermal Costa Rica has installed 145 MW of geothermal capacity and has the potential for 90 MW more.SolarIn Costa Rica, depending on the place, this country receives energy equivalent to 1300–1700 kW h/m2 yr. Taking 1500 kW h as an average, the total energy received on the Costa Rica terrain (50,000 km2) in 1 year will be 75,000 TWh, whereas the total energy consumed is about 28 TW h (103,350 TJ), that means the solar potential on Costa Rica is about 2600 times the energy consume in 1 year. The use of solar energy is still negligible, but the aim is for alternative power sources to expand significantly over the next decade.WindThere are 600 MW of unused wind potential. In 2010, a 49.5MW wind farm was inaugurated by the German project developer JUWI as part of the government’s goal to derive all of its energy from RES. The wind turbines installed in the Guanacaste region by JUWI and its partners GDF Suez Energy Central America, a subsidiary of the French-Belgian GDF Suez Group, and the local company BC y Asociados, will contribute to the country’s renewable energy objective. The 49.5 MW Guanacaste wind farm was completed in 2009 and consists of 55 E-44 wind turbines from German manufacturer Enercon and produces around 240 million KWh of electric energy per year.
