Americans continue to use more renewable energy sources

[OKIsItJustMe]

https://www.llnl.gov/news/newsreleases/2013/Jul/NR-13-07-04.html

[font face=Serif]For immediate release: 07/18/2013 | NR-13-07-04

Rows of wind turbines line the hills east of the Livermore Lab, a sight that has become more common across the country in recent years. Wind power saw the highest energy gains from 2011 to 2012, according to the most recent U.S. energy flow charts released by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Photo by Charles McGregor/LLNL

[font size=5]Americans continue to use more renewable energy sources[/font]

Anne M Stark, LLNL, [phone], [e-mail]

The 2012 energy flow chart released by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory details the sources of energy production, how Americans are using energy and how much waste exists.

[font size=3]Americans used more natural gas, solar panels and wind turbines and less coal to generate electricity in 2012, according to the most recent U.S. energy charts released by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

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Overall, Americans used 2.2 quadrillion BTU, or quads, less in 2012 than the previous year (BTU or British Thermal Unit is a unit of measurement for energy; 3,400 BTU is equivalent to about 1 kW-hr).

Once again, wind power saw the highest percentage gains, going from 1.17 quads produced in 2011 up to 1.36 quads in 2012. New wind farms continue to come on line with bigger, more efficient turbines that have been developed in response to government-sponsored incentives to invest in renewable energy.

Solar also jumped from 0.158 quads in 2011 to 0.235 quads in 2012. Extraordinary declines in prices of photovoltaic panels, due to global oversupply, drove this shift.

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[kristopher]

1. 'Rejected energy' 58.1Q out of 95.1Q

When you hear that there are opportunities for "energy efficiency" this is the large scale picture that is being referenced.
61% of the energy we consume is wasted, most of it in the transportation and electric generation sectors.

Sector: Gross - Useful Energy/Rejected Energy (proportion of useful to rejected)

Transportation: 26.7 - 5.6/21.1 (21 : 79)
Electric Generation: 38.10 - 12.40/25.70 (33 : 67)

In sectors where the heat value of the energy is useful we see much higher efficiency
Industrial: 23.9 - 19.1/4.77 (80 : 20)
Commercial: 8.29 - 5.39/2.90 (65 : 35)
Residential: 10.60 - 6.9/3.72 (65 : 35)

Solar, Wind and Hydro Subset of Electric Generation: -
These produce electricity directly with insignificant primary energy lost as heat in the generation phase, however they do incur line losses of about 7%.

So SolarWindHydro: 4.07 - 3.78/0.285 (93 : 7)


Trans............(21 : 79)
Electr............(33 : 67)
Industrial.......(80 : 20)
Commercial....(65 : 35)
Residential......(65 : 35)

SolWindHydro..(93 : 7)