U.S. Energy Consumption Up 2.7% for First Half of 2010
U.S. energy consumption increased 2.7% for the first two quarters of 2010, relative to the first two quarters of 2009, according to DOE's Energy Information Administration (EIA).
The EIA's "Monthly Energy Review," issued on September 30, finds that U.S. energy consumption totaled 48.8 quadrillion Btu (quads) for the first half of 2010, compared to 47.5 quads for the first half of 2009. Because U.S. energy use dipped sharply in 2009, the total is still 3.9% less than the first half of 2008.
The growth in energy use in 2010 closely tracks the first-half growth in U.S. economic activity. Figures released by the U.S. Department of Commerce on September 30 show the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the first and second quarters of 2010 increased 2.4% and 3.0%, respectively, compared to the same quarter in 2009, for a half-year average growth of 2.7%. See Table 1.1 in the "Energy Overview" section of the "Monthly Energy Review" and Table 8 in the press release from the Commerce Departments' Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Renewable energy consumption has also increased, with consumption in the first half of 2010 up 4.7% relative to the first half of 2009. According to the EIA report, the U.S. consumed 4.091 quads of renewable energy in the first half of the year, or 8.4% of U.S. energy.
With some areas of the country facing droughts, year-to-year hydropower production was down by 8% for the first half of 2010, while consumption of wind power was up 21.4% and biomass energy from wood and wood-derived fuels was up 4.9%. Ethanol consumption was up 23.4% for the first half of the year, while biodiesel recovered from last year's slump, increasing 18.9% relative to the first half of 2009 and 4.7% relative to the first half of 2008. See the "Renewable Energy" section of the EIA's "Monthly Energy Review."
DOE Awards Third Grant for U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center
DOE announced on October 7 that its Lawrence Berkeley National Lab will receive $12.5 million over the next five years to lead a consortium on energy efficient building technologies under the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center (CERC).
The DOE funding will be matched by the consortium partners to provide at least $25 million in total U.S. funding, and Chinese counterparts will contribute an additional $25 million.
Buildings account for nearly 40% of all energy consumption and carbon emissions in the U.S., while nearly half the new floor space built in the world every year is now in China.
LBNL leads a consortium that includes DOE's Oak Ridge National Lab, MIT, University of California/Davis, National Resources Defense Council, National Association of State Energy Officials, Association of State Energy Research and Technology Transfer Institutions, the Energy Foundation, Pegasus Capital Advisors, ICF International, Dow Chemical, Honeywell International,General Electric, Saint-Gobain, Bentley Systems, Inc. and ClimateMaster.
