A recent report by the World Wind Energy Forum (WFO) announced that the electricity produced by wind energy, worldwide, reached a record figure during the first six months of 2022 of no less than 6,759 megawatts of offshore wind capacity, compared to 1,627 MW during the same period in 2021, most of these plants are installed in China’s seas and lakes.
This study also highlighted that the installed offshore wind energy capacity worldwide reached 54,900 megawatts this year, where China also occupies a prominent position, since almost half of that potential has been installed in that country, followed by England, Germany and other European countries, mainly.
Costa Rica at the forefront
While it is true that these developed countries lead the growth of this new form of wind energy, it is appropriate to remember that our country has historically been a reference in the development of this type of renewable energy, when it installed the first wind farm in Latin America in a Guanacastecan canton, where 58 white turbines have emerged since 2003 in the Tejona Wind Farm in Tilarán. Today, almost two decades later, Costa Rica is at the forefront by having begun studies to consider the first offshore wind farm on the North Pacific coast.
Currently there are greater environmental considerations in the development of projects to ensure that the stability of the environment is respected, especially the fragility of a marine ecosystem.
Guanacaste with great potential
An innovative aspect, related to the use of wind energy in the sea, is also the need to generate capacities in our national professionals and technicians to build and operate this new type of projects, hence the importance that academic centers, such as universities and professional technical colleges should generate to strengthen the preparation of specialists in this new subject, hopefully with Guanacaste roots to create quality employment, so that in the not too distant future, the Province of Guanacaste expands its contribution to the national energy flow with its renewable energy potential.
