The
2012 energy flow chart released by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
details the sources of energy production, how Americans are using energy and
how much waste exists.
Americans
used more natural gas, solar panels and wind turbines and less coal to generate
electricity in 2012, according to the most recent U.S. energy charts released by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.Natural gas use is up particularly in the electricity generation sector, where it has basically substituted directly for coal, while sustained low natural gas prices have prompted a shift from coal to gas in the electricity generating sector, according to A.J. Simon, an LLNL energy systems analyst.
The rise in renewables is tied to both prices (the underlying cost of solar panels and wind turbines has gone down) and policy (government incentives to installers of equipment or renewable energy targets in various states), Simon said.
Overall, Americans used 2.2 quadrillion BTU, or quads, less in 2012 than the previous year (BTU or British Thermal Unit is a unit of measurement for energy; 3,400 BTU is equivalent to about 1 kW-hr).
Once again, wind power saw the highest gains.
