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U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION WASHINGTON DC 20585 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 15, 1997
Renewable energy's share of the Nation's total energy supply increased to 7.6 percent in 1995, up from 7.1 percent in 1994, according to the new Energy Information Administration (EIA) report, Renewable Energy Annual 1996. The increase was due primarily to a weather related 17-percent jump in electricity generation from hydroelectric power, as nonhydroelectric renewable energy remained near its 1994 level. Since 1991, renewable energy consumption has increased slightly over 2 percent per year. Sixty-five percent of all renewable energy consumed in 1995 was used to generate electricity. Renewables provided 415 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 1995 -- enough electricity to meet the needs of about 114 million average residential consumers or about 45 million households (assuming 2.5 persons per houshold) for one year. This was 12 percent more electricity than was generated from renewables in 1994. Highlights of EIA's analysis include: Biomass Excluding hydropower, biomass accounted for 87 percent of the remaining renewable energy consumption in 1995. Biomass is commonly used in industrial applications for process heat and power. U.S. pellet fuel production increased by 18 percent between the 1993-94 and 1995-96 heating seasons. In this process wood fiber is converted to pelletized form for use in wood stoves. Municipal Solid Waste Production of energy from municipal solid waste (MSW) supplies, which grew rapidly during the 1980s, has levelled off during the 1990s as economic and legal issues have directed waste flows to cheaper landfills, rather than to waste-to-energy facilities. However, it is not likely that the production of energy at landfills will increase significantly in the near term, because of the relatively high cost. Geothermal Salton Sea Unit IV, a 40-megawatt power plant, began operations in the Imperial Valley in southeastern California in 1996. Wind California has, by far, more wind-powered generating capacity and electricity generation than any other State. Minnesota, however, has the most planned wind capacity. Nationwide, windpower produced 4 percent of non-hydro renewable electricity in 1995. Solar Solar energy consumption rose by 7 percent in 1995, mostly as a result of increased use of solar panels for heating in the residential/commercial sector (primarily for swimming pools). The average price of solar thermal collectors dropped by 11 percent in 1995. Shipments of photovoltaic modules and cells totaled 31.1 peak megawatts in 1995, an increase of 19 percent over 1994 shipments. ("Peak megawatts" refers to maximum possible hourly electric output.) International Renewable Energy Additions of installed wind turbine capacity reached their single-year high in 1995 -- a total of 1,289 megawatts -- bringing the worldwide cumulative total to 4,900 megawatts. While the United States has the most installed wind capacity (1,731 megawatts), India has the most planned wind capacity (700 to 1,200 megawatts to be added over the next 15 years). In the past 10 years, sales of photovoltaics worldwide have more than quadrupled, while installed costs have dropped by more than half. The Philippines is the second-largest producer of geothermal electricity after the United States. Copies of the Renewable Energy Annual 1996 are available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, 202/512-1800, or through EIA's National Energy Information Center , 202/586-8800. The report may be accessed electronically on the Energy Information Administration's Internet site on the World Wide Web at http://www.eia.doe.gov/fuelrenewable.html. This address takes you to the "renewable" page, where you should scroll down to the report listing in the "Publications" section and choose either the PDF or HTML version.
EIA Press Contact: Thomas Welch, 202/586-1178 EIA-97-14 Contact:
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