Renewable Energy Production For Electricity Usage Surpasses Traditional Fuels
July 26, 2011 Kyriaki (Sandy) Venetis 
Montage courtesy of Go Green with Renewable Energy and Solar Power.
Despite naysayers, who for years have predicted that renewable energy would never gain a foothold the United States, a newly released report by U.S. Energy Information Administration found that more renewable energy has been produced for electrical usage over the last recorded 12-month period than at any other time.
The report looked at the production levels of renewable and traditional energy resources in March 2011 compared to their respective production levels during the same time last year.
The energy resources specifically looked at were: hydroelectric, natural gas, wind, nuclear, coal, and petroleum.
Overall, what the report found was that renewable energy resources grew in production and use, while traditional energy resources experienced slight declines, though the country’s electrical energy needs are still primary fuel by coal.
“About 93 percent of U.S. coal consumption is in the electric power sector,” said the EIA.
What’s significant is the slight shift in preferences for renewable energies as opposed to traditional energies, which could be a signifier of a more extended trend in this direction.
In renewable energies, conventional hydroelectric power saw the biggest growth, with production up 10,759 MWh (megawatt hours), or 52.2 percent. The increased power generation came primarily from the Pacific Coast states and accounted for 71.5 percent of the national rise. This March was one of the wettest on record for California, Oregon, and Washington.
Natural gas production saw the second largest increase over March 2010, generating an increased output of 3,131 MWh, or 5.0 percent. The increased production came primarily from Pennsylvania and Ohio, which accounted for 78.8 percent of the national rise.
Wind power plants experienced the third largest growth in power production in March compared to the same time last year, with production up 20.4 percent. California, Wyoming, and Illinois saw the greatest increases in wind power generation, though the trend was spread throughout the majority of states producing wind power.
The EIA found that of the 38 states producing wind power, only four reported producing less power in March 2011 than in March 2010.
Of the renewable energy resources, nuclear power saw the smallest growth, with an increased electricity output of only 1,027 MWh, or 1.6 percent.
By contrast, in traditional energy resources, coal production and use for electrical purposes saw the greatest year-to-year decline from March 2010. Coal generated electricity was down by 9,988 MWh, or 6.9 percent. The greatest declines in production were in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Washington.
Regarding petroleum as a resource for electrical generation, the EIA found that the overall net share generated “continues to be quite small compared to coal, nuclear, natural gas-fired, and hydroelectric.”
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Reader Comments (2)
Renewable energy provides a new avenue for rural economic development, increases the tax base, insures against rising or variable fuel costs, decreases dependence on foreign energy sources. It creates vibrant new industries in local communities, frequently in rural areas where the economy has not been thriving and therefore make contributions to society as a whole.
Thanks for your great comment! I agree with you and so do other people in high places. Earlier this month in a teleconference about new investments for biofuel research, and the building and retrofitting of biofuel refineries, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said that the development of nonfood feedstocks are “a potential cash crop” for farmers and ranchers throughout the United States.
Vilsack also said that biorefineries “will likely be located in rural areas, helping to create jobs,” and that this is “a chance for the military to be less dependent on foreign oil.”
Becoming less dependent on foreign oil in an important thing for national security and we are definitely making progress, but we are also nowhere near there yet. Continued political support for the position is definitely necessary.