Bringing up Iceland as an example is a little disingenuous since the whole island is a volcano so they can use geothermal cheaply.<p>Costa Rica uses its large amount of rainfall and dams to use generate hydro power, and this article discusses a drought they had in the last year that meant they had to fire up the old fossil fuel plants: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theguardian.com&#x2F;commentisfree&#x2F;2015&#x2F;mar&#x2F;30&#x2F;truth-behind-costa-rica-renewable-energy-reservoirs-climate-change" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theguardian.com&#x2F;commentisfree&#x2F;2015&#x2F;mar&#x2F;30&#x2F;truth-b...</a><p>So I&#x27;d still consider having some base load capacity available fairly important.