Winds of Change

So there are some signs of positive change.

According to data released this week by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, overall power consumption in the United States is falling, and the amount of energy generated by renewable sources is climbing.

Power generated from coal, natural gas and petroleum in 2009 is down from the year before, according to the new figures, while solar, hydroelectric, geothermal and, most significantly, wind all gained.

Total power usage in the U.S. was 94.6 quadrillion BTUs last year, down about 4.6 percent. In part, the decline in overall power use is tied to the recession – less economic activity means people and businesses use less power, researchers say. Another key factor was the growing use of energy-efficient appliances.

Meanwhile, renewable power sources became a more important part of the mix. Wind saw one of the biggest spikes, up more than 37 percent, to 0.7 quadrillion BTUs. And since most of that fed right into the grid, it offset the need for coal-fired electricity plants.

"The increase in renewables is a really good story, especially in the wind arena," Lawrence Labs researcher A.J. Simon told Science Daily. "It's a result of very good incentives and technological advancements. In 2009, the technology got better and the incentives remained relatively stable. The investments put in place for wind in previous years came online in 2009. Even better, there are more projects in the pipeline for 2010 and beyond."