December 27, 2006—Renewable power sources are projected to grow only 1.5 percent per year through 2030, a rate equal to the growth in electricity use, according to the latest long-term energy projections from the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Information Administration (EIA).
The projected rate yields only a 45 percent growth in renewable power production by 2030. The EIA adjusted its forecast downward from last year’s figures “because new, less positive cost and performance characteristics are assumed for several renewable technologies.”
With natural gas and nuclear power production also losing market share, coal power is expected to take up the slack, with an additional 156 gigawatts of generating capacity. As a result, fossil fuels are projected to still supply 86 percent of US energy needs in 2030 (the same as today), and carbon dioxide emissions are expected to grow by 1.2 percent per year, increasing 35 percent by 2030.
For more information see the EIA’s “Annual Energy Outlook 2007 (Early Release)”.
