Most countries around the world are politically driven to move toward a low-carbon future by embracing renewable energy technologies for electricity generation. With abundance of renewable energy resources, Costa Rica produces over 95 percent of its electricity from hydro, geothermal, and wind power plants. Only one percent of its population live without electricity, mainly in remote territories where rural off-grid electrification is very challenging. The purpose of this research is to contribute to enhancing the opportunities to reach universal electricity access in Costa Rica by studying some cases. A comparison with the African situation is made in order to find common points of benefit and learning.

This article highlights that a greater level of engagement is needed from local leaders to develop efficient solutions in Costa Rica, and brings a relevant comparison with Africa’s energy needs as well.

政治上，全世界大多数国家都在拥抱可再生能源技术来发电，从而朝着低碳未来迈进。哥斯达黎加拥有丰富的可再生能源，其95％以上的电力来自水力发电厂，地热发电厂和风力发电厂。只有百分之一的人口没有电，主要是在偏远地区，农村离网电气化非常困难。这项研究的目的是通过研究一些案例，为增加哥斯达黎加普及电力的机会做出贡献。与非洲的情况进行了比较，以找到共同的利益点和学习点。

本文强调，在哥斯达黎加，需要地方领导人更多的参与，以开发有效的解决方案，并将其与非洲的能源需求进行相关的比较。