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Renewable Energy Trends in Consumption and Electricity 2006 Edition |
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Electricity[back to top] Renewable energy provided almost 386 billion kilowatt hours of electricity generated in 2006 of a U.S. total of 4,065 billion kilowatthours.[5] While total U.S. electricity generation increased by 0.2 percent in 2006, conventional hydroelectric generation grew 7 percent and wind generation increased by nearly 50 percent, though from a much smaller base (Table 1.11 and Figure 1.4). Figure 1.4 Wind Electricity Net Generation, 2002-2006 Source: Energy Information Administration, Office of Coal, Nuclear, Electric and Alternate Fuels Chart data. Most of the electricity produced using renewable energy during 2006 was in the electric power sector, which accounted for 91 percent of the market; the industrial sector accounted for just 8 percent. In the same year, results were mixed for nonrenewable electricity. Nuclear- and coal-fired electricity generation stayed fairly steady, while electricity from petroleum plunged and natural gas rose 7 percent. As a result of expanded government-sponsored renewable energy programs, total renewable electric capacity stood at 101,934 megawatts by the end of 2006, up from 98,746 megawatts in 2005 (Table 1.12). With an increase of 2,622 megawatts between 2005 and 2006 wind energy accounted for the largest increase in renewable capacity and the second largest increase in capacity nationwide.[6] Natural gas capacity was first nationwide with an increase of over 5,000 megawatts. A later section of this report discusses wind electricity developments in detail. Table 1.13 shows that conventional hydroelectric generation was concentrated in the Pacific Contiguous Census Division where it accounts for a major portion of electricity supplied to that market (Figure 1.6). Electricity from geothermal and solar/ photovoltaic (PV) energy was found mainly in the Pacific Contiguous and Mountain Divisions, while electricity from the remaining renewable energy sources tended to be scattered geographically. Nearly 98 percent of industrial biomass generation was provided by wood and wood derived fuels (principally, black liquor, wood/wood waste liquids and solids) mainly in the southern Census Divisions of the U.S. (Table 1.14).
State Electricity[back to top] Renewable electricity generation increased by 28 billion kilowatthours between 2005 and 2006. The largest increases were for conventional hydroelectric power in Washington, California, Oregon, Idaho and New York and for wind in California, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas (Table 1.17 and Table 1.20). Renewable electric capacity increased by 3,189 megawatts between 2005 and 2006. Eighty-two percent of this increase was wind capacity. Texas, Washington, and California led that growth (Table 1.23 and Table 1.26). Most of the remainder of the capacity increase was for landfill gas/MSW biogenic (111 megawatts), wood and derived fuels (179 megawatts), and conventional hydroelectric (281 megawatts). In 2006 renewable electricity generation captured 9.5 percent of the U.S. electricity market, while nonhydro renewable electricity took just 2.4 percent (Table 1.27). Some States had little or no renewable generation, while others had shares as high as 89 percent for Idaho, 78 percent for Washington, and 75 percent for Oregon. Maine had the largest share of nonhydro renewable electricity generation at 24 percent. In terms of volume, California had the most nonhydro renewable generation with 24 billion kilowatthours due to its diverse supply of renewable energy sources, which includes the majority of the nation's geothermal and solar power. Although there is considerable variation in objectives and standards for enforcement, many States continue to expand their efforts to incorporate more renewable energy in their electric supply. By the end of 2007 32 states had enacted renewable portfolio standards (RPS) or state renewable mandates (Table 1.28 and Figure 1.5). Figure 1.5 Renewable Portfolio Standards and State Mandates by State, 2007 Note: In Florida, Michigan and Missouri the RPS is not statewide. In some states, including Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, North Dakota, Virginia and Vermont, the
renewable portfolio standard (RPS) is voluntary. These include the following states that were new on the list in 2007: Michigan. Early in 2007, the Lansing Board of Power and Light (LBPL) established a series of voluntary goals for meeting its customers' electricity demand with renewable energy. The goal for 2016 is 7 percent of retail sales. Missouri. In mid-2007, Missouri created a renewable energy and energy-efficiency objective for its investor owned utilities. Each utility must make a "good-faith effort" to generate or procure electricity generated by renewable energy equal to 11 percent of its retail electric sales by 2020. Credit towards the objective also may be achieved through energy efficiency that includes utility and consumer efforts to reduce consumption of electricity. New Hampshire. In mid-2007, New Hampshire enacted a renewable portfolio standard that requires electricity providers to acquire renewable energy certificates (RECs). equivalent to 23.8 percent of retail electricity sold to end-use customers by 2025. Class I and II eligible new renewable sources (in operation after January 1, 2006) will provide 16.3 percent of retail electricity sold, while Class III and IV eligible existing renewable sources will provide 7.5 percent.[7] North Carolina. In mid-2007, North Carolina enacted a Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard. Basically, this requires investor owned utilities to supply electricity equivalent to 12.5 percent of their 2020 sales using renewable energy or eligible alternatives by 2021. Up to 25 percent of the requirement can be met through energy efficiency technologies, including combined heat and power systems powered by nonrenewable energy sources. Municipal utilities and electric cooperatives must meet a target of 10 percent of their sales coming from renewables by 2018 but using slightly different rules. North Dakota. Early in 2007, North Dakota enacted legislation establishing a goal that 10 percent of all retail electricity sold in the state is to be obtained from renewable energy and recycled energy by 2015. The goal is voluntary. Oregon. At about the same time in 2007 that Oregon's governor signed the Western Climate Initiative, the state enacted its renewable portfolio standard.[8] In summary the standard is stepped in over the years from 2011 to 2025 and it varies by the size of the utility's load. In practice this means that the three large utilities (each with three percent or more of Oregon's total retail sales) will meet a target of 5 percent of electricity sold from renewable energy by 2011 and 25 percent by 2025, while smaller utilities will have lower targets.[9] Virginia. As part of its legislation to reregulate the state's electricity industry, Virginia enacted a voluntary renewable energy portfolio goal. The goal for investor owned utilities is to have 12 percent of base load sales in 2007 in Virginia (less the average annual percentage of power supplied from nuclear generators between 2004 and 2006) to come from renewable energy sources by 2022. A number of other states including Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania expanded the provisions of their renewable portfolio standards in 2007.
Data Revisions Estimates of residential wood consumption were revised upward for 2005 and 2006 to reflect a higher number of households reported as having wood burning units in the preliminary data from the EIA Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2005. Renewable electricity data for 2006 is now final. Also a new source of data was found for feedstocks consumed to produce inedible methyl esters (biodiesel).[10] This was used to estimate biodiesel production and apparent consumption starting in 2006 after the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation ended its biodiesel program.
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Endnotes: [1] Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-819, "Monthly Oxygenate Report." [2] Energy Information Administration, Petroleum Supply Monthly, February 2007 (Washington, DC, February 2007) Table 2. [3] Ethanol consumption is calculated as the sum of production, net imports, and stock changes. [4] See EISA 2007 Title II here: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h6 [5] Energy Information Administration, Monthly Energy Review December 2007 (Washington, DC, December 2007), Table 7.2a [6] Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Annual 2006 (Washington, DC, October 2007), Table 2.1. [7] For a detailed explanation of eligible energy sources, see the New Hampshire Code of Administrative Rules, Chapter Puc 2500 Electric Renewable Portfolio Standard, here: http://www.puc.state.nh.us/Regulatory/Rules/Puc2500%20Interim%20Rules%20-%20January%2010%202008.pdf [8] The agreement establishing the Western Climate Initiative was signed in February 2007. Targets to lower greenhouse gases to 15 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 were announced in August. Oregon enacted the renewable portfolio standard that would support that mission in June 2007. [9] For details such as the list of eligible sources, the matrix of RPS targets, implementation plans, and possible exemptions and modifications to the targets, etc., see the Oregon Department of Energy website, here: http://www.oregon.gov/ENERGY/RENEW/docs/Oregon_RPS_Summary_Oct2007.pdf . [10] Refer to the U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau series of Current Industrial Reports: Fats and Oils - Production, Consumption, and Stocks. |
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