At least 11,000 Costa Rican homes will soon have access to electricity, thanks to a solar energy project. Solarica, a Dutch company, is investing us $11.5 million to provide solar energy to people living along the country's rainforests. At a monthly cost of about us $10, a household will have access to 50 watts of electricity per day.

"If people have access to solar power, they can do their various chores during the evenings,' said Michael Colijn, a consultant on commercial financing for Solarica's project. Besides providing the much-needed power, at least five per cent of the project's financing will be used for educating local people about the ways to protect the rainforests.