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2015 Factbook: Sustainable Energy in America

2015 Factbook: Sustainable Energy in America

Full Title: 2015 Factbook: Sustainable Energy in America
Author(s):  Bloomberg New Energy Finance & The Business Council for Sustainable Energy
Publisher(s): Bloomberg New Energy Finance & The Business Council for Sustainable Energy
Publication Date: February 1, 2015
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):

For the last three years, the Sustainable Energy in America Factbook has documented the revolution transforming how the US produces, delivers, and consumes energy. In 2014, that revolution continued, and the long-term implications of these changes are coming into sharper focus.

To single out just a few tell-tale headlines from the hundreds of statistics presented in this report: over the 2007-14 period, US carbon emissions from the energy sector dropped 9%, US natural gas production rose 25%, and total US investment in clean energy (renewables and advanced grid, storage, and electrified transport technologies) totaled $386bn.

This third edition of the Factbook presents the latest updates on those trends, with special emphasis on 2014 happenings. The year was a notable one not just in terms of progress achieved by some sustainable energy sectors but also in terms of two key developments in the broader context. The first is the growth of the US economy, which has increased by 8% since 2007 and has been gaining steam in the past few quarters. The Factbook shows that advances in sustainable energy have been concurrent with this growth, and have partially fuelled it. The second is the collapse of oil prices. While there is no explicit link between oil (which in the US is used mostly for transport) and most sustainable energy technologies (which are used mostly in the power sector), the oil price shock has a profound global impact and may result in ‘second-order’ effects which could impact US sustainable energy.

All statements and/or propositions in discussion prompts are meant exclusively to stimulate discussion and do not represent the views of OurEnergyPolicy.org, its Partners, Topic Directors or Experts, nor of any individual or organization. Comments by and opinions of Expert participants are their own.

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