RENEWABLE SOURCES REACH 11.6 PERCENT OF U.S. ENERGY PRODUCTION

By Ken Bossong, Sun Day Coalition

Washington DC -- According to the latest issue of the "Monthly Energy Review" by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, renewable energy sources (i.e., biofuels, biomass, geothermal, hydroelectric, solar, wind) provided 11.6 percent of domestic U.S. energy production in May 2009 - the latest month for which data has been published. Moreover, for the second month in a row, renewable sources accounted for more domestic energy production than did nuclear power (0.707 quadrillion Btu's from renewables vs. 0.684 quads from nuclear).

For the first five months of 2009, renewable energy production (3.219 quads) was 5.5 percent higher compared to the same time period in 2008 (3.051 quads), and 9.7 percent higher than the same period in 2007 (2.935 quads). Comparing the first five months of 2009 to the first five months of 2008, wind increased by 29.9 percent, hydropower increased by 8.7 percent, geothermal increased by 0.7 percent, and biomass + biofuels increased by 0.5 percent, while solar remained largely unchanged.

For the first five months of 2009, U.S. renewable energy production was comprised of hydropower (35.9%), wood + wood wastes (30.2%), biofuels (19.1%), wind (9.0%), geothermal (4.5%), and solar (1.1%) [total is a bit less than 100% due to rounding].

On the other hand, domestic energy production from fossil fuels dropped by one percent during the first five months of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008 while nuclear power's contribution increased by 1.9 percent. Total domestic energy production from all sources for the period January - May 2009 declined slightly to 30.553 quads from 30.559 quads during the first five months of 2008.

Total U.S. energy consumption (i.e., domestic production plus imports) fell 6.0 percent during the first five months of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008 (40.078 quads vs. 42.624 quads) with fossil fuel use accounting for almost the entire decline.

"As Congress continues to debate energy funding priorities and climate legislation, it would do well to take note of the clear trends in the nation's changing energy mix," said Ken Bossong, Executive Director of the SUN DAY Campaign. "Fossil fuel use is dropping sharply while month-after-month the mix of renewable energy sources continues to set ever-higher records and is now even outpacing nuclear power."

The U.S. Energy Information Administration released the "Monthly Energy Review" on August 27, 2009. It can be found at: http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/mer/contents.html. The relevant tables from which the data above are extrapolated are Tables 1.1, 1.2, and 10.1

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The SUN DAY Campaign is a non-profit research and educational organization founded in 1993 to promote sustainable energy technologies as cost-effective alternatives to nuclear power and fossil fuels.