Good News: Renewable Energy Rising Rapidly in US
Over the past couple of years, the “Monthly Energy Review” by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has shown renewable energy sources growing steadily (i.e., biofuels, biomass, geothermal, hydroelectric, solar, wind).
For June, renewables supplied 11.37% of domestic energy production, up from 9.89% in 2007. They provided 11.18% of net U.S. electrical generation for the first six months of 2009. Renewable energy is almost on par with nuclear, which provided 11.38% of the mix for the first half of 2009. Electricity from coal dropped 13.76%.
Wind energy and hydro is responsible for much of the increase, growing 24.54% and 7.14% respectively during the first half of 2009.
As a footnote, the European Environmental Agency says the EU’s GHG emissions declined for the fourth consecutive year, primarily due to the recession and tightening the cap of its cap-and-trade program, the Emissions Trading Scheme. The EU is on track to meet its Kyoto target and will publish figures later this year.
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from Sustainablebusiness.com 10-2-09 updated 10-6-09
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