mongabay.com
November 13, 2006
Renewable energy sources could supply one quarter of America's electricity and motor vehicle fuel needs by 2025 according to a new study from RAND, a nonprofit research organisation. Currently six percent is energy used in the United Stats comes from renewable sources like solar, biomass, hydroelectric, tidal, wind, and geothermal.
RAND found that meeting the 25 percent renewable energy target for electricity and motor fuels would not increase total national energy spending assuming that renewable energy production costs continue to drop as expected and that long-term oil prices do not fall out of the range currently projected by the Energy Information Administration.
RAND says that wind power, solar power, and cellulosic ethanol produced from farm waste hold the most potential for generating clean electricity, while biomass converted into ethanol could be used to fuel motor vehicles.
If the 25 percent goal is met, RAND calculates that U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide will be 15 percent lower than projected, while expected demand for oil would fall by 2.5 million barrels.
Mark Bernstein was lead author of the study.
Report: Impacts on U.S. Energy Expenditures of Increasing Renewable Energy Use
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