Renewable Energy Policy Portfolios:The Case of the United States

摘要

@@ Overview In 1982, there was less than 500 megawatts (MW) of non-hydro renewable energy operating in the United States. By 2007, this number had increased to 30,856 MW, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) (see Figure1)1. Though non-hydro renewables are still only 3.2 percent of the total electricity generating capacity in the US, they are growing rapidly; renewable energy capacity increased by 7 percent in 2007. This gain was led by a 21% increase in wind generation. The industrial sector was a leading consumer of renewable energy in 2007 that included 6,467 MW of biomass-fueled cogeneration.