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ISAT 212 – ENERGY ISSUES IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

JMU-UCR(Tentative WEEKENDS TRIPS)

1. Mirador Aserrí

2. Manuel Antonio

5. Miravalles

6. Cañas-Tilarán

7. Arenal 3. Limón

4. Puerto Viejo 8. Volcán Poás

UCR

Botos Lagoon is a filled-up crater in the Parque Nacional Volcan Poas. Its deep blue waters contrast with the dense tropical forest that surround it, making it the perfect spot for the stereotypical Indian sacrifice- throwing a young maiden into the mouth of a crater or a lagoon. Volcan Poas is one of the most visited volcanoes in Costa Rica, because of its proximity to San Jose and because of the luxuriant forest that surrounds the two craters. The park measures 5600 hectares, and this basaltic volcano stands at an altitude of 2708 meters (8,200 feet) above sea level.

VOLCAN POAS

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Arenal is considered Costa Rica's most active volcano and has been studied by seismologists for many years. Although the activity nowadays is less damaging, you can still see  ash columns, underground rumbling, glowing orange lava flows and sudden explosions on a daily base. With its perfect conical shape it allows breathtaking views of volcanic action in the summit. Almost every night the crater offers a spectacle of lights with its explosive eruptions. The volcano is located in the northern zone of the country, fifteen kilometers southwest of La Fortuna in San Carlos. The temperature varies from 16 degrees Celsius (60,8 degrees Fahrenheit) in the high areas to 24 degrees Celsius (75,2 degrees Fahrenheit) in the low areas and the annually rainfall is around 5,000 mm (195 inches). The Arenal Volcano area is an important watershed for the Arenal Lake Reservoir. Water from here is used for hydroelectric power, with the purpose of satisfying the electricity demand of the inter-connected national system and the Guanacaste irrigation projects.

ARENAL

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• Costa Rica’s multiuse Proyecto de Riego Arenal-Tempisque (PRAT) scheme was developed between 1975 and 1978 and is administrated by the Servicio Nacional de Aguas Subterráneas, Riego y Avenamiento (SENARA). PRAT channels water from the Arenal Lake, which originally used to flow down the Caribbean basin, towards the Pacific basin through a hydroelectric complex of three power plants built in cascade: Arenal, Corobici, and Sandillal (ARCOSA), illustrated above from left to right. Once the waters pass through these facilities, they enter two irrigation canals. Construction started on Arenal in 1974. The plant has three 52.5-MW Fuji Francis turbines driving Mitsubishi generators. Average annual generation is about 640 GWh. Corobici is the second of the three ARCOSA plants and has three 60-MW Mitsubishi Francis turbines with Hitachi generators. The plant went into service in 1982 and supplies about 730 GWh/yr to the Costa Rican grid. Sandillal is the last of three hydroelectric plants in the scheme. The plant has two 16-MW Kaplan turbines from Voest driving Siemens generators. Construction on Sandillal started in 1987 and it went into operation in November 1992.

ARENAL HYDROELECTRIC PLANT

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Manuel Antonio The most popular national park in Costa Rica, the Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio is the most visited park in the country. Created in 1972 and encompassing an area of around 682 hectares, this park is among the most diverse and beautiful places in the region. Considered to be among the tiniest national parks in Costa Rica, what this park lacks in size, it makes up for in stunning natural beauty.

Combining gorgeous beaches with dense lush rainforests, exotic animal and bird species and exquisite coral reefs, the Manual Antonio National Park lies in the lovely Puntarenas province along Costa Rica’s Central Pacific Coast. Easily accessible by bus or car from the capital city of San Jose, which lies only 140 km southwest of here, this park is also easy to get to from Jaco, which sits just 69 km to the south. Seven kilometers south of the town of Quepos and near an excellent selection of resorts, hotels, accommodations and restaurants, coming here promises a wonderful adventure vacation for the entire family. With as many as 150,000 visitors a year, you can also catch a short 20 minute flight here via Sansa airlines or Nature Air. .

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MIRAVALLES

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The Miravalles area is continually monitored, as some seismic activity is taking place under and inside the caldera. However, the last recorded eruption of steam vents was in 1946. Because the park contains a large underground heated reservoir, it is the site of a geothermal energy plant. The hydrothermal field is a hot-water dominated system, with a vapor dominated cap (few tens of meters thick) in some parts of the geothermal field.

Primary cloud forest and rainforest covers the park, which abounds with flora and fauna species in multiple life zones, innumerable rivers, waterfalls and thermal hot springs.

LIMON

1. Limón, Limón 2. Pococí, Guápiles 3. Siquirres, Siquirres 4. Talamanca, Bratsi 5. Matina, Matina 6. Guácimo, Guácimo

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PLANTA TERMICA MOIN

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REFINADORA RECOPE MOIN

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RAM LUNA

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Location: In the mountains above Aserrí, south of San José.Directions for Taxi Driver: Del centro de Aserrí, cuatro kilómetros sobre la carretera a Tabarca. At the Ram Luna Restaurant in the hills above Aserrí, the food is authentic, the atmosphere is elegant and the view is breathtakingly amazing. Guests will feel they have the stars at their feet as they enjoy a deliciously authentic Costa Rican dinner above a vast sea of lights twinkling in the valley below.The history of the popular Ram Luna Restaurant began in May of 1967, when a young newlywed couple named Gilbert and Moraima Ramírez moved into a small mountain cabin with a view and dreamt of building a restaurant where the atmosphere was classy and the food delicious.Today, the Ram Luna has become all that and more. The elegant multilevel building boasts a beautiful exterior view and a classy interior where candles warm the comfortable ambience. The service is excellent and the food is uniquely Costa Rican.

CAÑAS

El canton de la amistad", is found in the northwest part of Costa Rica, in the Guanacaste province, at the geographic coordinates given as 10 degrees 27 minutes and 04 seconds latitude north and 85 degrees 06 minutes and 06 seconds longitude west.The maximum width is 61 kms, from 4400 mts. west of the top of the hill of Montezuma to 2500 mts south of the dock at the Tempisque Ferry. The total area is about 682.2

square kms.

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TILARAN• Gateway to Lake Arenal and the

Arenal Volcano, Tilaran is a charming town that lies in the northeastern regions of Guanacaste province, close to the border of Alajuela. Located along the Pan American Highway some 4 km from Lake Arenal, Tilaran is now fast becoming a key location for adventures in and around the lake area. A quaint little town 22 km from Canas, Tilaran is also a major farming zone for coffee, peanuts and macadamia nuts in the region as well as for cattle and horse ranching

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PUERTO VIEJO

This beach offers a very thick and voluminous wave. This wave comes from deep water over a shallow reef that is called Salsa Barva. It is a right reef break known for it's size and power. The biggest waves in Costa Rica break here when there is a swell. The only way to paddle in and out is through a small channel in the reef, be sure and observe a local paddle out before you do.