US, UK renewable energy generation on upward trajectory
April 2, 2013 | By
Barbara Vergetis Lundin
Renewable energy sources and natural gas have expanded rapidly over the last four years ending in 2012 compared to the same timeframe ending in 2008, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data. During the same four years ending in 2012, coal and nuclear power generation, oil imports and use, energy consumption, and CO2 emissions all declined, according to EIA, with domestic energy production from renewable energy sources (i.e., biofuels, biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar and wind) growing by 23.48 percent, and solar and wind more than doubling their output. In 2012, renewable energy generation saw significant increases and accounted for 11.23 percent of domestic energy production compared to 9.84 percent in 2008. Driven in part by government support, hydropower production grew by 7.01 percent, geothermal by 18.23 percent, biofuels by 40.66 percent, solar by 138.20 percent, and wind by 149.27 percent. "…the energy policies pioneered by the Obama Administration have generated dramatic growth rates for renewable energy during the past four years, while significantly reducing oil imports and greenhouse gas emissions," said Ken Bossong, Executive Director of the SUN DAY Campaign. "The investments in sustainable energy made by the federal government as well as state officials and private funders have paid off handsomely underscoring the short-sightedness of seemingly endless proposals to slash or discontinue such support." The use of renewables in the United Kingdom is on a similar trajectory. In 2012, the U.K. generated 11.3 percent of its electricity from renewables overall. Much of the growth is attributed to new on- and offshore wind farms -- up by 15 percent and 46 percent, respectively. Further, biomass generation increased 17 percent and solar PV capacity increased 70 percent. For more: © 2013 FierceMarkets. All rights reserved. http://www.fierceenergy.com |