The nation is moving slowly but surely toward greater energy independence, according to a new progress report from 25x’25.
Renewable energy produced in the United States between 2004 and 2009 grew by about 23 percent, according to the report, Meeting the 25x’25 Goal: A Progress Report. The 32-page analysis details advances made by the renewable energy sector since the Alliance was formed in 2004 toward meeting 25 percent of the nation’s energy needs with renewable resources from the land by 2025.
Among the report’s findings:
– U.S. renewable energy consumption at the end of 2009 was 8.3 percent of total energy consumption, up from less than 6 percent in 2004
– Ethanol production tripled in the last 5 years with 10.8 billion gallons produced in 2009, while biodiesel production climbed in 2008 to almost 700 million gallons
– The electricity generating capacity from wind facilities has grown an astonishing 429 percent since 2004, with total generating capacity now over 35,000 megawatts
– Solar production capacity for both thermal and electricity generation has grown 41 percent since 2004. Some 40 megawatts of solar energy were installed off the grid in 2009
The report emphasizes that while much has been accomplished, the need to make the transition to a new energy future is even more vital now than it was when the vision was adopted in 2004. “We will continue to forge a path to a cleaner, more secure and economically viable new energy future – one defined by ever-increasing amounts of domestically produced, renewable forms of energy,” said Read Smith, co-chairman of the National 25x’25 Steering Committee, in a press conference this morning.