Renewable sources grow to 10.5 per cent of US energy production

4 January 2010

Renewable energy sources such as biofuels, biomass, geothermal, hydroelectric, solar and wind, provided 10.51 per cent of domestic US energy production during the first nine months of 2009, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA)’s Monthly Energy Review.

Renewable energy sources provided 10.21 per cent of net US electrical generation for the first nine months of 2009, according to EIA’s Electric Power Monthly. Renewable energy sources accounted for 9.67 per cent of domestic energy production during the first nine months of 2007, which increased to 10.12 per cent for the first three-quarters of 2008.

Domestic energy production from renewable sources grew by 4.10 per cent during the first nine months of 2009 compared to the first nine months of 2008, representing an increase of 0.228 quadrillion Btus.

Most of the growth came from wind and hydropower, which expanded by 28.46 per cent and 4.73 per cent respectively during the first three-quarters of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008, according to research organisation the SUN DAY campaign. Hydropower accounted for 35.16 per cent of the total renewable growth, biomass 30.72 per cent, biofuels 20.25 per cent, wind 8.17 per cent, geothermal 4.52 per cent and solar 1.17 per cent.

The company says that renewable energy’s contribution to the nation’s domestic energy production is almost equal to that provided by nuclear power.

‘When Congress resumes its debate on pending energy and climate legislation in 2010, it would do well to take note of the clear trends in the nation’s changing energy mix,’ said Ken Bossong, executive director of the SUN DAY Campaign. ‘Renewable energy has proven itself to be a solid investment, growing rapidly and nipping at the heels of the stagnant nuclear power industry, while fossil fuel use continues to drop.’

In the electricity sector, conventional hydropower accounted for 6.89 per cent of US net electrical generation during the first nine months of 2009, while other renewable energy sources (biomass, geothermal, solar, wind) accounted for 3.32 per cent, with an aggregate total of 10.21 per cent. By comparison for the first three quarters of 2008, renewables accounted for 9.18 per cent of net electrical generation and in the same period in 2007, renewables accounted for 8.72 per cent of net US electrical production.

While renewably-generated electricity has grown, overall net US electrical generation was 4.72 per cent lower for the first nine months of 2009 compared to the first half of 2008, with coal-generated electricity dropping by 12.86 per cent.

The SUN DAY Campaign is a non-profit research and educational organisation founded in 1993 to promote sustainable energy technologies as cost-effective alternatives to nuclear power and fossil fuels.

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Tags: energy efficiency

This story was published on Monday, January 4th, 2010 at 11:56 am and is filed under North America, energy efficiency, policy. You can follow any responses to article entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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