"My presidency will mark a new chapter in America's leadership on climate change that will strengthen our security and create millions of new jobs in the process."
US-President Barack Obama, November 2008
Renewable energy could contribute dramatically to meeting America's energy needs. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), 635 gigawatts (GW) of new electrical generating capacity will be installed by 2025. That represents more than half of all currently installed capacity in the United States.
Energy from renewable sources satisfied 7.4% of the nation's total energy demand in 2008. That energy was provided by the following sources:
- biomass 52.7%
- hydroelectric 33.8%
- geothermal 5.4%
- wind energy 6.8%
- solar energy 1.4%
The largest part of the United States' renewable energy generation capacity (excluding hydroelectric) is used to produce electricity. This is twice as much as Germany uses to produce electricity, and approximately three times as much as Japan. The potential electrical generating capacity for the different renewable technologies is immense:
| Electrical Generating Capacity (GW) | Cumulative Installed Capacity (2008) | Cumulative Installed Capacity by 2025 (according to ACORE's National Policy Conference) |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 25.5 | 248 |
| Solar | 1.1 | 100 |
| Biomass | 12.2 | 100 |
| Hydroelectric | 77.63 | 187 |
| Geothermal | 3.3 | |
| Total | 119.8 | 635 |
Source: U.S. DoE, "2008 Renewable Energy Data Book"
