Renewable Energy Usage Up By 11.1%

A recent U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) report shows that for the month of April, renewable energy sources accounted for 11.1% of domestic energy production. Furthermore, the EIA said that production of renewable energy for the first four months of this year was 6% greater when compared to the same time period in 2008, according to a 25x'25 news release.

During the month of April, renewable sources provided .664 quadrillion Btu’s (quads), or 11.1%, of the total U.S. energy production of 5.98 quads. By comparison, nuclear power provided .620 quads (10.4%) during the month.

The EIA reported that domestic energy production for the first four months of 2009 totaled 24.394 quads. Of that amount, 2.512 quads came from renewable sources, including 34.6% from hydropower, 31.2% from wood and wood wastes, 19% from biofuels, 9.3% from wind energy, 4.7% from geothermal energy and 1.2% from solar power.

Most of the renewable sources measured by the EIA grew compared to the first third of 2008, with wind expanding by 34.5%, biofuels by 14.1%, hydropower by 8.2%, and geothermal by 2.6%.