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Renewable Energy Report for USA – 80% of electrical energy by 2050

Renewable Energy to Power 80% of the U.S.
http://www.energyandcapital.com/articles/renewable-energy-to-power-80-of-the-us/2266 New Report Proves Renewable Energy’s Superiority By Swagato Chakravorty, June 22nd, 2012 The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently studied how renewable energy can respond to the electricity demands of the U.S. in the coming decades.

The report, titled Renewable Electricity Futures Study (RE Futures), looks at the effects of renewable electricity generation levels between 30% to 90%, envisioning 80% renewable electricity by 2050. It considers key factors such as physical geographies and output
fluctuation, things that could disrupt certain renewable sources.
The report concluded that 80% renewable electricity by 2050 is a viable option with existing renewable technologies, mainly requiring advances in the electric system to meet standard electricity demand per hour.
The report outlined several suggestions for the more adaptable
electric system necessary including grid storage, more responsive
loads, modified conventional generation systems, and adaptations to
power system operations.
The report also emphasized that the sheer quantity of renewable energy
sources would enable us optimize renewable power technologies to
drastically reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
Finally, the report indicates that reducing incremental cost is
crucial to widespread renewable technologies, and this can be done
through overall cost reduction and performance enhancement.
The report is the most in-depth look at the technical feasibilities of
introducing renewable energy technologies into existing
infrastructure, gradually transitioning to a future where the vast
majority of the nation’s power is generated from renewable systems.
The four-part report will prove invaluable to stimulating larger
discussions concerning the future of our country’s electric power
systems.
Funds for the research were provided by the U.S. Department of
Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and it was
carried out by contributors from over 35 organizations.

June 23, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | renewable, USA