Recently, Costa Rica's National Energy Control Center released the data of power generation structure in 2022, which showed that the proportion of renewable energy power generation in the country reached 99.25% in 2022, exceeding 98% for eight consecutive years. By the end of last year, Costa Rica had exported 747 GWh of electricity to overseas power markets, all of which were green electricity. From the perspective of power generation structure, hydropower will still be the main power source of Costa Rica in 2022, accounting for 75.16% of the total power generation; The second is geothermal power generation, accounting for 12.97%; Wind power accounted for 10.65%, biomass energy and solar power accounted for 0.47%. Since 2015, the above five renewable energy sources have supplied more than 98% of Costa Rica's electricity, making it one of the countries with the highest utilization rate of green electricity in the world. "In the past year, we have not started thermal power plants for more than 300 days." Roberto Queiroz, manager of Costa Rica Electric Power and Telecommunications Corporation, said: "In 2023, we will still actively develop green electricity and continue to restrict the use of thermal power plants." Costa Rica has long focused on the development of renewable energy and is committed to achieving the goal of "net zero emissions" by 2050. Abundant green power resources, especially abundant precipitation, have provided great help to achieve this goal. In February 2019, Costa Rica announced its national independent decarbonization plan, putting forward a series of medium and long-term goals such as promoting reform in transportation, waste treatment, land use and other fields. According to the plan, Costa Rica will achieve 100% renewable energy power supply by 2030; By 2035, 70% of buses and taxis will be electrified, and by 2050, 100% will be electrified. Michel Bachelet, a former official of the United Nations, said that the national independent decarbonization plan is a new action for Costa Rica to fulfill its commitments in the Paris Agreement and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In recognition of Costa Rica's achievements in the field of natural protection and response to climate change, the United Nations awarded the "Earth Guardian Award" to Costa Rica in 2019. The development of green electricity has also brought great economic and social benefits to Costa Rica. The Colombian government said that in the past 20 years, it has saved at least US $500 million by gradually shifting to renewable energy, and about US $70 million by zero import of fossil fuels in 2015 alone. It is estimated that the implementation of the independent decarbonization plan will bring Costa Rica a net income of 41 billion US dollars from 2020 to 2050. (Xinhua News Agency)