Renewable energy consumption decreased by about 1% between 2006 and 2007, contributing 7% of the Nation’s total energy demand, and 8.4% of total U.S. electricity generation in 2007.

Most Renewable Energy Goes to Producing Electricity

Electricity producers consumed 51% of total U.S. renewable energy in 2007 for producing electricity. Most of the remaining 49% of renewable energy was biomass consumed for industrial applications (principally paper-making) by plants producing only heat and steam. Biomass is also used for transportation fuels (ethanol) and to provide residential and commercial space heating. The largest share of the renewable-generated electricity comes from hydroelectric energy (71%), followed by biomass (16%), wind (9%), geothermal (4%), and solar (0.2%). Wind-generated electricity increased by almost 21% in 2007 over 2006, more than any other energy source. Its growth rate was followed closely by solar, which increased by over 19% in 2007 over 2006.

The United States Is Second in Renewable Electricity Production

China leads the world in total renewable energy consumption for electricity production due to its recent massive additions to hydroelectric production, followed closely by the United States, Canada, and Brazil. However, the United States consumes the most non-hydro renewable energy for the production of electricity. The United States consumes twice as much non-hydro renewable energy for electricity production as Germany and more than three times as much as Japan.

The Share of Renewable-Generated Electricity in the United States Is Expected to Grow

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects that renewable-generated electricity will account for 12.5% of total U.S. electricity generation in 2030. This growth (from 8.4% in 2007 to 12.5% in 2030) is fueled by the rapid expansion of non-hydro renewable generation technologies that qualify to meet State mandates for renewable energy production.

However, EIA projects renewable energy’s share of total worldwide electricity generation will decrease slightly: from 18% of generation in 2005 to 15% in 2030. Although worldwide renewable energy is expected to increase, it will be outpaced by growth in other electricity generation sources.

Did You Know? Wind-generated electricity increased by 45% between 2005 and 2006 and by 21% between 2006 and 2007, more than any other renewable source of generation in both years. These increases were due, primarily, to newly- constructed wind power plants.

Hydroelectric generation increased by 7% between 2005 and 2006, second only to wind power. However, between 2006 and 2007, hydroelectric generation decreased by 14%. These changes were primarily due to variation in the amounts of rainfall and snowfall occurring in watersheds where major hydroelectric dams are located.

Why We Don’t Use More Renewable Energy

Renewable energy sources and generating technologies are environmentally benign compared with fossil fuel and nuclear technologies, but there are two main reasons why we don’t use more renewable energy.

1. Renewable Energy is Expensive and Capital-Intensive: Renewable energy plants are generally more expensive to build and to operate than coal and natural gas plants. Recently, however, some wind-generating plants have proven to be economically feasible in areas with good wind resources, compared with other conventional technologies, when coupled with the Renewable Electricity Production Tax Credit (described below).

2. Renewable Resources Are Often Geographically Remote: The best renewable resources are often available only in remote areas, so building transmission lines to deliver power to large metropolitan areas is expensive.

Policies Aim to Increase the Use of Renewable Energy

Three kinds of policies to increase the use of renewable energy are:

1. Tax credits: The Renewable Electricity Production Tax Credit, a federal incentive, has encouraged a quadrupling of wind energy capacity over the past few years. EIA’s projections assume these credits will expire at the end of 2008, as provided for under current law. Extension of the credit would increase the projected growth in renewable generation.

2. Targets: Many States have Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), which require electricity providers to generate or acquire a percentage of generation from renewable sources.9 However, many RPS programs have “escape clauses” if renewable generation exceeds a cost threshold. Some States have delayed compliance and others lack enforcement procedures. As a result, States may not always meet their RPS goals. Since it is difficult to project which States will have success, EIA assumes nearly all States will meet their mandated generation.

3. Markets: A number of States have built Renewable Energy Certificates/Credits (RECs) into their Renewable Portfolio Standards.10 This allows electricity providers to sell renewable energy certificates/credits and use their proceeds for renewable projects. Some States have made REC markets mandatory, requiring electricity providers to produce or acquire renewable generation to reduce reliance on fossil fuels to generate electricity. 

The sun’s heat and light provide an abundant source of energy that can be harnessed in many ways. There are a variety of technologies that have been developed to take advantage of solar energy. These include concentrating solar power systems, passive solar heating and daylighting, photovoltaic systems, solar hot water, and solar process heat and space heating and cooling.

Solar power can be used in both large-scale applications and in smaller systems for the home. Businesses and industry can diversify their energy sources, improve efficiency, and save money by choosing solar technologies for heating and cooling, industrial processes, electricity, and water heating. Homeowners can also use solar technologies for heating and cooling and water heating, and may even be able to produce enough electricity to operate "off-grid" or to sell the extra electricity to the utilities, depending on local programs. The use of passive solar heating and daylighting design strategies can help both homes and commercial buildings operate more efficiently and make them more pleasant and comfortable places in which to live and work.

Sunlight—through photovoltaic technology—provides this building at Oberlin College with electricity.

Beyond these localized uses of solar power, utilities and power plants are also taking advantage of the sun’s abundant energy resource and offering the benefits to their customers. Concentrating solar power systems allow power plants to produce electricity from the sun on a larger scale, which in turn allows consumers to take advantage of solar power without making the investment in personal solar technology systems.

Solar power technologies, from individual home systems to large-scale concentrating solar power systems, have the potential to help meet growing energy needs and provide diversity and reliability in energy supplies.

Did you know that you can run you car on a water burning fuel! Sounds science fiction but its true! The current technology allows you to run your car on water! Click here to find out more!

It is the talk of the town in many states. Can you run your car on tap water? I mean tap water is such a seemingly "worthless" household item. Use it to wash my car, maybe. But to power my car with water seems rather far-fetched or is it?

Reports from various states have pointed this "run car on water" phenomenon to be real and not a hoax. Trucks and car owners alike who have converted their vehicles to run on tap water have indicated that it not only works, their fuel costs have dropped significantly with some reporting as much as 40%, while others claimed that their gas mileages have doubled!

Water-Powered Technology Behind Running A Car On Tap Water

Creating power from water using a hydrogen generator is not a recent discovery. Such technology has been around for decades now. But the original hydrogen or water fuel generators are huge, industrial size ones.

Today, some smart engineers have developed a smaller prototype model. It is the mini hydrogen generator that can use tap water to power a car.

But to correct the understanding of most folks, the water is not burnt as a fuel. So it is not exactly right scientifically and factually to use the term "water fuel". Rather, this water is broken down by a electrolyzer into HHO, commonly called Brown’s gas to aid the combustion of gasoline. The engine still requires gas to power it.

The Setup of Mini HHO or Hydrogen Generator

This HHO generator is cheap to build and all the parts can be found in local hardware stores. You only need a water container, some wirings and hoses and that’s about it. Also, not forgetting pure baking soda as a catalyst. A gallon of tap water is capable of expanding into over 1866 gallons of Brown’s gas! In other words, once it is setup, it can last for months.

Once it is assembled, you need to put the system in the car and plug it into the carburetor or engine manifold. The carburetor will ensure that the right proportions of Brown’s gas mix with the gasoline for a full combustion. It needs to be powered by the car battery as well.

Benefits To Run Your Car On Tap Water

Firstly, you save on your gas fuel costs. Many drivers have already gone ahead of you and reported savings of over 40%. Secondly, your mileage will improve tremendously. Your engine will become cleaner, quieter and last longer as a result.

Don’t let the government steal any more from your hard earned paycheck! Click here and join the revolution!

Learn the exact steps on how to run a car on water using a simple hydrogen generator for car for under $100. Easy A to Z guide teaches you how to build one today.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Davion_Wong

It seems impossible that a gallon of gasoline, which weighs about 6.3 pounds, could produce 20 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) when burned. However, most of the weight of the CO2 doesn’t come from the gasoline itself, but the oxygen in the air.

When gasoline burns, the carbon and hydrogen separate. The hydrogen combines with oxygen to form water (H2O), and carbon combines with oxygen to form carbon dioxide (CO2).

How Can A Gallon of Gasoline Produce 20 Pounds of Carbon Dioxide?

A carbon atom has a weight of 12, and each oxygen atom has a weight of 16, giving each single molecule of CO2 an atomic weight of 44 (12 from carbon and 32 from oxygen).

Therefore, to calculate the amount of CO2 produced from a gallon of gasoline, the weight of the carbon in the gasoline is multiplied by 44/12 or 3.7.

Since gasoline is about 87% carbon and 13% hydrogen by weight, the carbon in a gallon of gasoline weighs 5.5 pounds (6.3 lbs. x .87).

We can then multiply the weight of the carbon (5.5 pounds) by 3.7, which equals 20 pounds of CO2.