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Issues Today,
the United States uses the most energy per capita—the average
American consumes 50% more than the average European and ten
times more than the average consumer in China, India, and
Africa.1 In fact, we produce 25% of the world’s
carbon emissions but account for only 4% of its populace.2
The production of the electricity accounts for 40% of these
greenhouse gases.3 And of that, half is still produced
by burning coal—the biggest culprit in carbon emissions and
airborne pollution.4 In fact, coal and other fossil
fuels are still the most widely used sources of energy, accounting
for about 72% of our net electricity generation today.5
Currently, renewable sources, such as wind and solar, supply
less than 10% of the energy consumed in the United States,
with wind and solar accounting for only 5% combined.6
Of electricity generated, hydroelectric power accounts for
6%, and other renewables account for only 2.5%.7
We have the ability to generate much more, but today’s electrical
infrastructure cannot maximize the benefits of renewable resources.
Today, wind and solar resources connected to the grid are
not optimized as a reliable first-tier energy sources. Grid
congestion can act as a barrier to full utilization, and renewable
variability can cause reliability challenges at relatively
high levels of penetration.
Additionally, as more renewable energy is generated by alternative
sources, power will be entering the network from multiple
locations, including the distribution
network (i.e. distributed
generation). The current grid was not designed with multi-directional
power flow in mind. |
Some of the underutilized forms of
renewable energy include:
- Wind
- Solar
- Hydroelectric
- Geothermal
- Biomass
As renewable
portfolio standards are adopted, and as many states
are mandating that a greater percentage of renewable
energy sources be introduced, renewable generation will
likely become a more prominent part of our generation
mix. |
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