Advancing U.S. Renewable Energy | Article

Workers rehabilitating a runner hub at American Electric Power’s Racine Hydro Station. Photo courtesy Voith Hydro Through a suite of Congressional briefings and a new fact sheet, EESI has continued its excellent tradition of bringing Congress the latest information on renewable energy, which provides 10 percent of U.S. electricity and, as of 2009, eight percent of total U.S. energy consumption. Here is a quick look at our recent work:

On April 27, we held a briefing on developing sustainable biomass supplies to meet our nation’s needs for food, fiber, and fuel while conserving our natural resources.
On April 6, we held a briefing on water power technologies (including incremental hydropower, ocean, tidal, in-stream hydrokinetic, and pumped storage), areas for potential growth in hydropower capacity (including the 97 percent of U.S. dams with no hydro technology), and the economic benefits of hydropower development.
On March 11, we held a briefing on how the United States can secure its supply of critical materials and rare earth elements , which are essential to producing solar panels, wind turbines, and electric vehicle batteries, among many other technologies. More than 97 percent of the U.S. and world supply of rare earths comes from China, and this supply has been restricted recently.
On January 12, we published a fact sheet on renewable energy deployment , comparing deployment time, project size, and carbon displacement of renewable electricity and thermal technologies.
In February, EESI announced a partnership with the Geothermal Energy Association to sponsor a new environmental stewardship award for the geothermal industry . Innovation in emissions reductions, protection of natural resources, unprecedented industry leadership, job creation, and community education will be recognized.

We also are working with the House and Senate Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucuses to organize the 14th Annual Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO + Policy Forum for June 16, 2011. Details on this all-day event will be posted here and emailed out to our briefing notice subscribers !

The next generation of wind turbines will require tons of rare earth magnets for their direct drive technology, which dramatically improves efficiency and reliability by generating power at the top of the turbine. Image courtesy Molycorp, from presentation given at EESI’s briefing on March 11, 2011.