Fossil Based Electricity Generation Declines, Nuclear
Stagnant, as Renewable Energy Sources Soar; Non-Hydro Renewables Grow by 17%
over 2007
For Immediate Release: Thursday - March 26, 2009
Contact: Ken Bossong, 301-270-6477 x.23
Washington DC – According to the latest figures published by the U.S. Energy
Information Administration (EIA) in its "Electric Power Monthly" report
released on March 24, 2009, non-hydro renewable sources of electricity
enjoyed double-digit growth during the past year while coal, natural gas,
and petroleum experienced notable declines and nuclear power remained
stagnant.
Specifically, EIA reports that net electricity generation in the United
States dropped by 1.0 percent from during 2008 compared to 2007. Coal-fired
generation was down by 1.1 percent, natural gas declined 2.2 percent, and
petroleum liquids decreased by 37.1 percent.
Nuclear generation during 2008 was essentially stagnant – increasing by only
0.3 percent compared to the prior year.
On the other hand, EIA figures show that renewable energy, including
conventional hydropower, increased by 5.9 percent during 2008 -- reflecting
a combined increase of 0.9 percent in conventional hydropower coupled with a
17.6 percent increase in non-hydro renewables (i.e., solar, wind,
geothermal, biomass).
In particular, according to EIA, net generation from wind sources was 51.0
percent higher than it had been in 2007 while solar electric generation
jumped by 36.1 percent. More modest increases were enjoyed by geothermal
(2.5 percent) and wood + other biomass (0.6 percent).
In 2008, conventional hydroelectric power provided 6.1 percent of the U.S.'s
total net electricity generation, while other renewables (biomass,
geothermal, solar, and wind) generated a bit more than 3.0 percent of
electric power.
However, non-hydro renewables’ share of the nation’s electricity supply has
been increasingly steadily. As of December 2008, non-hydro renewables had
expanded their contribution to 3.4 percent. By comparison, non-hydro
renewables accounted for 2.5 percent of electricity generation in 2007.
“Thirty years after the March 28 accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear
power plant, growth in that industry appears to have screeched to a halt,”
said Ken Bossong, Executive Director of the SUN DAY Campaign. “On the other
hand, renewable energy is continuing the pattern of meteoric growth that it
has been enjoying in recent years and likely to continue in the foreseeable
future.”
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The data cited above are taken from Table ES1.B of the Energy Information
Administration’s “Electric Power Monthly - March 2009” (released March 24,
2009). It can be found at: http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/execsum.pdf
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The SUN DAY Campaign is a non-profit research and educational organization
founded in 1993 to promote sustainable energy technologies as cost-effective
alternatives to nuclear power and fossil fuels.
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