U.S. USING LESS OLD, MORE NEW ENERGY

Americans Using Less Energy, More Renewables
August 24, 2010 (Science Daily)

"…The United States used significantly less coal and petroleum in 2009 than in 2008, and significantly more wind power. There also was a decline in natural gas use and increases in solar, hydro and geothermal power according to the most recent energy flow charts released by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory [LLNL]."

[A.J. Simon, energy systems analyst/flow chart designer, LLNL:] "Energy use tends to follow the level of economic activity…[H]igher efficiency appliances and vehicles reduced energy use even further…The increase in renewables is a really good story, especially in the wind arena…It's a result of very good incentives and technological advancements. 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."

The flow chart. (click to enlarge)

"The estimated U.S. energy use in 2009 equaled 94.6 quadrillion BTUs ("quads"), down from 99.2 quadrillion BTUs in 2008. (A BTU or British Thermal Unit is a unit of measurement for energy, and is equivalent to about 1.055 kilojoules)…Energy use in the residential, commercial, industrial and transportation arenas all declined by .22, .09, 2.16 and .88 quads, respectively.

"Wind power increased dramatically in 2009 to.70 quads of primary energy compared to .51 in 2008. Most of that energy is tied directly to electricity generation and thus helps decrease the use of coal for electricity production."

The energy future. (click to enlarge)

"The significant decrease in coal used to produce electricity can be attributed to three factors: overall lower electricity demand, a fuel shift to natural gas, and an offset created by more wind power production…Nuclear energy use remained relatively flat in 2009. No new plants were added or taken offline…and the existing fleet operated slightly less…

"Of the 94.6 quads consumed, only 39.97 ended up as energy services. Energy services, such as lighting and machinery output, are harder to estimate than fuel consumption…The ratio of energy services to the total amount of energy used is a measure of the country's energy efficiency…"