Feds Increase Renewable Energy Use 1,000 % In Six Years
The Department of Energy has announced that the federal government has exceeded its goal of obtaining 2.5% of its electricity needs from renewable energy sources by September 30, 2005.
The largest energy consumer in the nation, the federal government now uses 2375 gigawatt hours (GWh) of renewable energy–enough to power 225,000 homes or a city the size of El Paso, Texas, for a year.
When the Executive Order goal was set by President Bill Clinton in 1999, renewable energy from biomass, geothermal, solar and wind projects only accounted for some 173 GWh. Todays figures represent an increase of over 1,000% in the federal governments use of energy from biomass, geothermal, solar and wind projects.
DOE’s Federal Energy Management Program helped federal agencies meet the goal by purchasing renewable energy or utilizing renewable technologies at individual sites. Solar panels, on-site wind projects and thousands of geothermal ground source heat pumps have been installed across the federal government.
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 has set a goal for the federal government to obtain 7.5% of its electrical power from renewable sources of energy by 2013.
Provided by the Environmental News Service.