Renewable resources in the US electricity supply

Technical Report · Fri Mar 05 00:00:00 EST 1993

OSTI ID:10136841

Renewable resources (solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, biomass, and waste) currently provide nearly 12 percent of the Nation`s electricity supply. Almost 10 of this 12 percent is provided by hydroelectric resources alone. Biomass and municipal solid waste (MSW) together contribute more than 1 percent. All other renewable resources, including geothermal, wind, and solar, together provide less than 1 percent of the total. Many renewable resources are relative newcomers to the electric power market. In particular, electricity generation using geothermal, wind, solar, and MSW resources have had their greatest expansion in the 1980`s. This was a result of significant technological improvements, the implementation of favorable Federal and State policies, and the reaction to the increasing costs of using fossil and nuclear fuels. The use of renewable resources for electricity generation has also been encouraged as less environmentally damaging than fossil fuels. Because renewable energy is available domestically, renewable resources are viewed as more secure than imported fossil fuels. This report, Renewable Resources in the US Electricity Supply, presents descriptions of the history, current use, and forecasted future applications of renewable resources for electricity generation and of the factors that influence those applications.

• Research Organization: USDOE Energy Information Administration, Washington, DC (United States). Office of Coal, Nuclear, Electric and Alternate Fuels
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• OSTI ID: 10136841
• Report Number(s): DOE/EIA-0561; ON: DE93009492; NC: NONE
• Resource Relation: Other Information: PBD: 5 Mar 1993
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
RENEWABLE RESOURCES
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ELECTRIC POWER
POWER GENERATION
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RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
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SOLAR ENERGY
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299000
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290200
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UNCONVENTIONAL SOURCES AND POWER GENERATION
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