Today’s energy mix in the United States is undergoing radical change. Traditional energy sources are declining, while natural gas, renewable energy and energy efficiency are on the rise. Highlights from the Factbook include:
- Renewable energyinstallations hit an all-time record with at least 17 GW of new nameplate capacity added in 2012.
- In April 2012, electricity generation from natural gas equaled that from coal for the first time in US history.
- Policies and approaches for financing energy efficiency continued to make market headway; energy intensity for US commercial buildings has now dropped by more than 40% since 1980 and investments in smart grid topped $4 billion.
- Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from the energy sector were on pace to sink to their lowest level since 1994.
The 2013 Factbook researched and produced by Bloomberg New Energy Finance and commissioned by the Business Council on Sustainable Energy, offers a fresh look at the state of US energy along with the roles these new technologies and innovations now play.
A revolution is transforming how Americans produce, consume and even think about energy
Use these resources to get an inside look at today’s cleaner, more diverse energy mix:
CONTACT
For more information:
Laura Tierney
BCSE
202-785-0507
ABOUT THE FACTBOOK PARTNERS
Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) is the world’s leading independent provider of news, data, research and analysis to decision-makers in renewable energy, energy smart technologies, carbon markets, carbon capture and storage, and nuclear power. BNEF has staff of more than 200, based in London, Washington D.C., New York, Beijing, New Delhi, Cape Town, São Paulo, Singapore, and Sydney. BCSE members provided BNEF with additional datasets for use in this report. BNEF compiled, wrote, and edited this report and retained editorial independence and responsibility for its content throughout the process.
The Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) is a coalition of companies and trade associations from the energy efficiency, natural gas and renewable energy sectors. The Council membership also includes independent electric power producers, investor-owned utilities, public power, commercial end-users and project developers and service providers for environmental markets. The release of the Factbook celebrates the Council’s 20th anniversary. Since 1992, the Council has been a leading industry voice advocating for policies at the state, national and international levels that increase the use of commercially-available clean energy technologies, products and services.
