US renewables gets a boost despite total energy slump

People in the United States consumed more renewable energy last year than 2008, despite cutting overall energy use, according to new research.

Analysis published by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) shows Americans used 94.6 quadrillion BTUs in 2009, down from 99.2 quadrillion BTUs in 2008 – cutting out the equivalent of about 791 million barrels of crude oil.

While consumption of coal, petrol and natural gas declined, the use of wind power rose significantly from 0.51 quads in 2008, to 0.70 quads in 2009, an increase equivalent to around 33 million barrels of crude oil.

According to LLNL energy analyst AJ Simon, the significant decrease in coal to produce electricity is a result of three factors. First, a general decline in electricity demand, a fuel shift to natural gas, and an offset created by more wind power production.

Meanwhile, he said, renewables consumption had been bolstered by technological advances and stable government subsidies.

“The increase in renewables is a really good story, especially in the wind arena,” he said. “In 2009, the technology got better and the incentives remained relatively stable. The investments put in place for wind in previous years came online in 2009.

“Even better, there are more projects in the pipeline for 2010 and beyond,” he added.

Nuclear energy use remained relatively flat in 2009 as no new plants were added or taken offline.