Renewable energy is catching on around the world. Many countries are rushing to move from fossil fuels to sustainable power production. They can learn a few lessons from these leading countries that are already there.
Iceland
Not only is this country unique, but the population also gets its energy from 100% renewable sources. The country’s unique landscape makes it ideal for unleashing the power of geothermal and hydroelectric plants.
The energy they produce is enough to power the entire country. Iceland gets almost all of its electricity from renewables and leads the list of countries.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica has a unique geography that sports 67 volcanoes and a relatively small population under five million people. That makes the country ripe for renewable energy, and the country gets a large percentage of its electricity from sustainable sources.
Costa Rica is proving its capacity to go green by running several months a year completely on renewable energy. The small population of the country makes it easier for its four hydroelectric power facilities to produce enough electricity. Douglas Healy sees this type of format is crucial for the development of alternative energy sources in stable countries. That’s happening around the world at a record pace.
Nicaragua
Nicaragua has several volcanoes and a similar situation to Costa Rica. The country is planning on being 90% renewable by the end of this year. Again, the unique landscape is ideal for alternative energy production, and the nation is building wind, solar, and geothermal plants to ensure energy independence.
Scotland
Scotland, a part of the UK, is a windy place that’s moving towards renewable energy at a fast pace. Wind plants are now producing enough electricity to power almost every household in the nation.
Germany
Germany has been riding the renewable trend for a while and went massively into solar power.
The nation is now the world leader in solar PV capacity. With nearly 80% of its energy coming from this source, the investment is paying off handsomely for this European nation.
Denmark
People know Denmark for its traditional love for windmills and wind power is the country’s modern answer for electricity production.
Denmark leads the world with over 40% of its electrical power coming from wind turbines. The country continues to add more wind capacity to be 100% renewable by 2050.
Uruguay
Uruguay is an example of a country that is transforming quickly from fossil fuel to renewable energy. The country now gets almost all of its electricity from alternative sources. Perhaps most dramatically, most of the movement has been going on in the last ten years.
The most fantastic part of Uruguay’s story is that the nation didn’t rely on subsidies to implement the change. The move also resulted in lower prices for consumers. That seems like a blueprint for other countries to follow.
The investment is paying off as the world recognizes the impressive job the country is doing. Wind turbines and biofuel now dominate energy production, resulting in a shallow carbon footprint.
Something else that’s unique about Uruguay is that the small country is getting energy from a wide gamut of sources. That includes wind, hydroelectric, and solar in the consumer sector. Biomass cogeneration plants power the industrial part of the economy, rounding out the offerings. As Douglas Healy says, it pays to have multiple sources for energy production.
Larger countries would do well to imitate the plans that transformed Uruguay, and world leaders study the solution at their summits.
Morocco
Morocco is capitalizing on its role as a very sunny country. The country invested $2.5 billion in the world’s largest solar farm, with plans to help the plant push the country to 100% renewable energy.
The project is unfolding in four stages. At the end of the last, the country will have not only enough power for itself, but will also export clean energy to other countries.
Ultimately, several countries on this list are doing remarkable jobs in their energy transformation. However, larger countries with advanced economies still struggle to adopt the same practices due to vast populations. Germany is proving that it’s possible to use renewable energy to power massive manufacturing capacity and a large population.
In the next few years, even more, countries may achieve a 100% renewable rate