Renewables slowly increase market share in U.S.

WASHINGTON, DC, US, August 17, 2005 (Refocus Weekly)

The use of renewable energies in the United States will grow more in the next 12 months than it has in recent years, according to data from the federal government.

Total use of renewables in 2006 under the base case will be 6.934 quadrillion Btu, up 5.2% over the 6.591 quads used in 2005, predicts the ‘Short-Term Energy Outlook’ released in July by the Department of Energy. From 2004 to this year, the increase was 3.8% and 2.1% between 2003 and 2004.

Total energy demand in the U.S. next year will be 103.6 quads, up 1.7% from 2005, following increases of 1.9% for both 2004-05 and 2003-04. Renewables will provide 6.7% of that total demand, a increase over the 6.6% in 2005, 6.5% in 2004 and 6.4% in 2003.

The electricity sector uses the majority of renewables in the U.S., and generators will use 4.071quads next year, up 7.4% over the 3.789 quads used in 2005. From 2004 to this year, the increase was 4.3% and there was a decrease of 1.5% in renewables use by utilities between 2003 and 2004.

Within the power sector, hydroelectric is the largest component of renewable energies and will account for 3.046 quads of the total next year, up 8.9% over 2005 use. From 2004 to 2005, the increase was 4.6% and there was a decline of 2.6% in the previous year.

Biofuels will increase 1.1% into next year, from 0.532 to 0.538 quads, following an increase of 4.7% from 2004 to 2005 and a decline of -2.7 from 2003 to 2004.

Geothermal, solar and wind are grouped together in the electricity section of the forecast, and DOE expects that category to increase 5.9% by next year, to 0.487 quads from the 0.460 in 2005. From 2004 to 2005, the increase was 2% and it grew 6.9% from 2003 to 2004.

Outside of electricity, the industrial sector is the largest user of renewables, primarily of biofuels in uses other than electricity cogeneration. The sector’s use will grow to 1.928 quads in 2006, up 1.4% over 2005, following increases of 2.9% and 5.6% in the previous two years.

The residential sector is next at 0.476 quads next year, up 2.1% over 2005 and following on recent increases of 2.2% and 4.8% from 2003 to 2004. The commercial sector will drop to 0.121 quads next year, down 0.8% from 2005, following increases of 6.1% and 8.5%.

Transportation will grow by 8% next year to 0.337 quads, following increases of 4.3% from 2004 to 2005 and a jump of 25.6% from 2003 to 2004.

The report tracks the use of conventional hydroelectricity only, and excludes pumped storage. Biofuels include fuelwood, wood byproducts, waste wood, municipal solid waste, manufacturing process waste and alcohol fuels, and transportation use is for ethanol blended into gasoline. For non-utility use, only minor components of non-marketed renewables are tracked (energy that is neither bought nor sold either directly or indirectly as inputs to marketed energy), and the DOE’s Energy Information Administration EIA does not estimate or project total consumption of non-marketed renewables.


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