Renewable Energy Consumption and Electricity Preliminary 2007 Statistics
Highlights Renewable energy consumption declined 1 percent between 2006 and 2007 to 6,830 trillion Btu, according to preliminary 2007 data (Table 1 and Figure 1). In contrast, both total energy and non-renewable energy increased 2 percent. There was wide variation in the consumption behavior of individual renewable energy sources. Hydro electricity dropped 14 percent in 2007 due to reduced precipitation in several regions of the country. On the plus side, biomass-based energy grew 7 percent and wind-generated electricity jumped 21 percent (Table 3). Major increases in consumption of biomass to produce and use biofuels (ethanol and biodiesel) were almost entirely responsible for the increase in biomass during 2007 (Table 1). From 2003 through 2007, renewable energy consumption’s average annual growth rate was 3 percent, compared with just 1 percent for total energy consumption. Again, biofuels and wind were largely responsible for the increase, with 5-year average annual growth rates of 25 and 29 percent, respectively. Just over half of renewable energy consumption occurred in the electric power sector in 2007 (Table 2). The industrial sector was the second-leading consumer of renewable energy, accounting for nearly 30 percent. The transportation, residential, and commercial sectors accounted for 9, 8, and 2 percent, respectively. While the electric power sector currently consumes the most renewable energy (51 percent), its use dropped 8 percent between 2006 and 2007. In 2003, the electricity sector accounted for 59 percent of total renewable energy consumption. In contrast, transportation sector renewable energy consumption increased 30 percent during 2007, and residential sector consumption grew 12 percent. Residential sector growth was due to healthy increases in all three energy sources: biomass, geothermal, and solar/photovoltaic. Commercial and industrial uses of renewable energy changed little between 2006 and 2007 and have also changed little as a fraction of total renewable consumption since 2003. That could change for the industrial sector if ethanol and biodiesel use continues to grow rapidly resulting in increased feedstock consumption. This is especially significant in view of the fact that the largest biomass fuel consumed in the industrial sector, wood and derived fuels, has grown little since 1989 and appears to have peaked in 1997.[1] Within the electric power sector, wind energy consumption has grown each year since 1998.[2] From 2003 to 2007, wind’s share of total renewable energy consumption increased from 2 percent to 5 percent. For the first time ever in 2007, wind energy consumption in the electric power sector exceeded geothermal. Hydro electricity accounted for 36 percent of total renewable consumption in 2007, down from 46 percent in 2003. However, hydro consumption is tied mostly to precipitation, which can vary year to year. Few plants are being built or retired. |
The Role of Renewable Energy Consumption in the Nation’s Energy Supply, 2007
Source: Energy Information Administration, Office of Coal, Nuclear, Electric and Alternate Fuels Chart data.
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| 1. | U.S. Energy Consumption by Energy Source, 2003-2007 |  |
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| 2. | Renewable Energy Consumption by Energy Use Sector and Energy Source, 2003-2007 | |
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| 3. | Electricity Net Generation From Renewable Energy by Energy Use Sector and Energy Source, 2003-2007 | |
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| 4. | U.S. Electric Net Summer Capacity by Energy Source, 2003-2007 |
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| 5. | Total Renewable Net Generation by Energy Source and State, 2006 | |
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| 6. | Total Renewable Net Generation by Energy Source and State, 2007 | |
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| 7. | Total Renewable Net Summer Capacity by Energy Source and State, 2006 | |
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| 8. | Total Renewable Net Summer Capacity by Energy Source and State, 2007 | |
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| 1. | The Role of Renewable Energy Consumption in the Nation’s Energy Supply, 2007 | |
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Electricity generation from renewable sources fell 9 percent in 2007 to 351 billion kilowatthours (kWh), largely due to reduced precipitation (Table 3). Excluding hydro electricity, however, renewable electricity generation grew 7 percent. This gain was led by a 21 percent increase in electricity from wind and moderate increases in electricity from biomass waste. There has been little change in generation from the largest non-hydro renewable electricity source, wood and derived fuels, since 2003.
With the exception of hydro, changes in renewable electricity capacity generally reflected generation changes in 2007 (Table 4). Total renewable electricity capacity rose 5 percent to 107 thousand megawatts (MW), led by a 38 percent (or 4,000 MW) increase in wind capacity. Total nonrenewable electric capacity rose just 1 percent to 892 thousand megawatts.
The state distribution of renewable electricity generation changed somewhat between 2006 and 2007 (Table 5 and Table 6). Washington state widened its lead over California as the leading renewable electricity producer, largely due to the fact that precipitation decreases were much less in the Pacific Northwest than in California. Furthermore, Washington commissioned more new wind capacity (344 MW) than did California (63 MW) in 2007 (Table 7 and Table 8). The result was that Washington’s wind-based generation increased by over 1 billion kWh in 2007, compared with about a 760 million kWh increase in California.
Texas continued its drive to build wind capacity in 2007, commissioning nearly 1,300 MW and increasing wind-based generation by 22 percent to over 8 billion kWh. Texas now derives 2 percent of its total generation from wind energy.[3] Minnesota and Iowa each raised wind generation by roughly 400 million kWh.
State-based generation from wood and derived fuels, the largest non-hydro renewable energy source, changed little between 2006 and 2007. The two major exceptions were New Hampshire and Washington. Wood and derived fuels-based generation increased from about 590 million kWh to 883 million kWh in New Hampshire, while dropping from 1,275 million kWh to 978 million kWh in Washington.
Nevada generated from central station solar power for the first time in 2007 with the opening of the 64 MW Nevada Solar One plant in Boulder City.
[1] See Table 2 of this report and Energy Information Administration, Renewable Energy Annual 2006 Data Tables (Washington, DC, April 2008), Tables 1.5a and 1.5b, here: http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/solar.renewables/page/rea_data/rea_sum.html.
[2] Ibid.
[3] See Table 6 of this report and Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly March 2008 (Washington, DC, March 2008), table 1.6.B here: http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/ftproot/electricity/epm/02260803.pdf
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