"My presidency will mark a new chapter in America's leadership on climate change that will strengthen our security and create millions of new jobs in the process."
US-President Barack Obama, November 2008
Renewable energy could contribute dramatically to meeting America’s energy needs, providing up to 635 gigawatts (GW) of new electricity generating capacity by 2025. That amount is equal to roughly half of total U.S. generating capacity today, and – according to projections from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) – represents substantially more than the additional electric power generating capacity needed by 2025.
Renewable energy consumption contributed 7% of the nation’s energy demand in 2007. Within renewables, these sources provided the nation´s energy demand:
- biomass 53%
- hydroelectric 36%
- geothermal 5%
- wind energy 5%
- solar energy 1%
The United States consumes the most non-hydro renewable energy for the production of electricity – twice that of Germany and three times that of Japan. The potential for the key renewable energy technologies to generate electrical power is tremendous (according to ACORE’s National Policy Conference):
| Electrical Generating Capacity (GW) | Current (2006) | NEW Renewable Capacity (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 10.5 | 248 |
| Solar | 3.1 | 100 |
| Biomass | 10 | 100 |
| Hydro & Geothermal | 75.52 | 187 |
| Total | 99.12 | 635 |
However, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects that renewable-generated electricity will account for 12.5% of total U.S. electricity generation in 2030. This growth (from 8.4% in 2007 to 12.5% in 2030) is fueled by the rapid expansion of non-hydro renewable generation technologies that qualify to meet State mandates for renewable energy production.
Sources: www.acore.org, www.eia.doe.gov