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Solar Costa Rica, S.A.
Solar Costa Rica
For years SCR has been providing highest quality sustainable technology services to a fairly small number of special clients and quite a few other smaller systems. We are proud of the work we have done, providing the highest quality products with solid warranties. These tend to be more expensive in the marketplace.
However, worldwide, the entire solar electric and thermal industry has been changing rapidly during the last few years. The prices are so much lower now and there is an influx of much lower quality products with fairly short warranties that match the prices at a 1/3 the prices that we have. To respond this shifting market we would have to totally change our operations to accommodate a much higher volume of sales and installations
We closed our doors last week. For most of the last 20 years we have been involved in the promotion of solar and other renewable energies in Costa Rica.
We hope we have contributed to furthering sustainable clean energy sources in Costa Rica.
Solar applications are quite underused here. There seems to be a rather profound misunderstanding by some of the country’s engineers about how solar applications really work. You could almost think there was a bias against solar power. Costa Rica is a major producer of ‘green’ hydroelectric power and about to be an exporter. If solar panels were on every roof top it would be mean job loss for the electric industry, never mind clean technology. 90% of solar PV electric panels installed worldwide are connected to the grid. This is not permissible in the populated and industrial areas of Costa Rica - by decree.
The ICE program is a two year plan.
Just a picture one morning on a Yahoo Newsgroup
Not that this will shock anyone who's been living here a while. Just a little more interesting to put a few numbers to it.
From: http://noticias.kolbi.msn.com/los-sobornos-seducen-a-los-ticos
According to a study by the Center for Research in Pure and Applied Mathematics
(CIMPA) at the University of Costa Rica (UCR), Costa Ricans have become
more tolerant of bribes.
In one year, the Costa Ricans paid 18 billion colones for bribes, that is, about ¢ 50 million each day.
The research was conducted with a sample of a thousand people interviewed in 47 counties and 95 districts across the country.
The study was applied between 3 and 18 September this 2011.
Some key findings are that 50% of respondents do not know where to report corruption.
On the other hand, the study reveals that people made bribes to get
driver's licenses in an amount in excess of 2 billion colones for an
average of 23 000 colones each.
In addition, 95% of people admitted to having received some form of bribery to do some processing.
"interviewed in 47 counties" a canton is a CITY area (there are 81), composed of distritos... districts.
"95% of people admitted to having received some form of bribery" The article says that 95% of the people interviewed had OFFERED some form of bribe to realize some sort of processing.
But don't we KNOW that this is the Republica del Chorizo? Where the bribe is often the ONLY way to move a process forward. Officials are rounded up in GROUPS to face bribery charges that usually never stick... because Cash is King and who exempts judges from the game. And of course the rewards are tantalizing... PAY for not working while you wait years for your trial to start and then there are MILLIONS paid to you for your firing just before or even if maybe not, you will be convicted. The ticket may be $500, but with a little negotiation, $20 will cover it. You don't like jail and wanna go home? That might cost you $2-4,000! Wanna steal that guys house? Might cost $8-10,000. Wanna sell a phone system to ICE? Could go as high as $50,000,000 of the contract... but remember, ALL bribes are negotiable! DON'T settle for the first offer. ALL bribes are deducted from the quality and quantity of the product involved ...800 towers instead of ideally 1,300. And remember, if you don't know how to drive, there is a quick solution! I even know a guy that bribed his ex-wife to not file child support charges against him! It's (unfortunately) a way of life here.
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