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U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION
WASHINGTON DC 20585

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 20, 2002

Renewable Energy Industry Sets Highs and Lows

Shipments of solar photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules expanded 11 percent to nearly 98,000 peak kilowatts in 2001, according to information released today by the Energy Information Administration in the report, Renewable Energy Annual 2001. An 80-percent surge in domestic shipments to a record 36,310 peak kilowatts led this growth, which was tempered by the first decrease in PV exports in more than a decade. Shipments of solar thermal collectors grew 34 percent to more than 11 million square feet.
While solar shipments have increased, total renewable energy consumption dropped to 5.668 Quadrillion Btu (Figure 1), the lowest level in over 12 years. This was primarily due to a 23-percent drop in hydroelectric power generation caused by below normal levels of precipitation in the Pacific Northwest (Figure 2). As a result, renewable energy's share of U.S. energy consumption declined modestly to under 6 percent in 2001 and biomass overtook hydroelectric power as the most important source of renewable energy for the first time since 1992.

Other highlights from Renewable Energy Annual 2001 include:

  • Wind electric power plant net summer capacity expanded by over 70 percent to 4,062 megawatts in 2001.

  • Biomass energy consumption decreased 3 percent to 2.854 Quadrillion Btu mainly in the residential and industrial sectors.

  • Ethanol consumption by the transportation sector expanded 6 percent.

  • Five states, Washington, California, Oregon, New York, and Idaho, provided 62 percent of total renewable net electric generation, which stood at 356 billion kilowatthours in 2000 (the latest year for which state data is available).

Renewable Energy Annual 2001 can be viewed and downloaded from EIA's website at: http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/solar.renewables/page/rea_data/rea_sum.html

The report described in this press release was prepared by the Energy Information Administration, the independent statistical and analytical agency within the U.S. Department of Energy. The information contained in the report and the press release should be attributed to the Energy Information Administration and should not be construed as advocating or reflecting any policy position of the Department of Energy or any other organization.

-EIA-

EIA Program Contact: Louise Guey-Lee 202/287-1731
EIA Press Contact: National Energy Information Center, 202/586-8800

EIA-2002-15

File Last Modified: November 20, 2002

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