Renewable energy consumption increased 7% between 2005 and 2006, contributing about 7% of the Nation’s total energy demand and 9.5% of total U.S. electricity generation in 2006, according to figures released today by the Energy Information Administration.
The largest share of the renewable-generated electricity comes from hydroelectric energy (75%), followed by biomass (14%), wind (7%), geothermal (4%), and solar (0.1%)
China leads the world in total renewable energy consumption for electricity production due to its recent massive additions to hydroelectric production, followed closely by the United States, Canada, and Brazil. However, the United States consumes the most non-hydro renewable energy for the production of electricity.
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects that renewable-generated electricity will account for 12.6% of total U.S. electricity generation in 2030.7 This growth (from 9.5% in 2006 to 12.6% in 2030) is fueled by the rapid expansion of non-hydro renewable generation technologies that qualify to meet State mandates for renewable energy production.
However, EIA projects renewable energy’s share of total worldwide electricity generation will decrease slightly: from 19% of generation in 2004 to 16% in 2030.8 Although worldwide renewable energy is expected to increase, it will be outpaced by growth in other electricity generation sources, which doesn’t bode well for a planet that desperately needs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions produced by burning fossil fuels.
The EIA said the two main obstacles facing the adoption of more renewable energy are capital-intensive costs and the often geographically remote sources of renewable energy.
However, they recommended three policies to significantly increase the use of renewable energy:
- Tax credits–Congress, listen up.
- Targets–More than half of U.S. states now have renewable portfolio standards (RPS) mandating a percentage of renewably sourced electricity.
- Markets–Renewable Energy Certificates/Credits (RECs) are being coupled with RPS policies, allowing producers of renewable energy to sell not only clean energy but also revenue-generating credits, which are purchased through a market system by emissions-heavy industries.
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