Scotland's Energy Minister Fergus Ewing has called on the renewable energy industry to build on the successes of 2011.

It may be surprising to many people that the United States gets the majority of its crude oil and petroleum from countries other than those in the Middle East. New data released in June 2011 by the U.S. Energy Information Administration show that only about 18 percent of crude and petroleum came from the Middle Eastern countries of Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates in 2010. The majority of the crude and petroleum imported to the U.S. came from the Western Hemisphere, with approximately 49 percent coming from North, South, and Central America, and the Caribbean, including U.S. territories.

The U.S. consumed 19.1 million barrels per day (MMbd) in 2010 of petroleum products, and dependence on foreign oil has declined since 2005, and several factors come into play as to why. The economic situation has played a role, but there are also factors like increased efficiency and changes in consumer patterns. Domestic biofuels production has helped the U.S. to decrease foreign oil reliance as well, but there have also been changes such as domestic production of crude increasing along with increased natural gas use.

The Obama Administration approved the Keystone XL pipeline that is slated to carry tar sands from Alberta to Texas to be refined into various forms of fuel. There were also over 1000 protestors arrested during the days the protests took place. Among them was President Obama’s chief climatologist, James Henson. The protestors were protesting that the pipeline will put our clean energy future on hold even longer, and instead of sending a message that we must harness energy from the wind and sun, it is ok to continue to get it from deep under the earth’s surface and pollute the air, water, and land that are so critical to humanity.

from: Carrington College

Peter holds a Master of Applied Science in Environmental Policy and Management from the University of Denver and has an interest in alternative energy and energy efficiency.  He is also interested in policy development to bring more alternative energy into the energy mix and develop programs to promote sustainable energy use practices through public education. He understands that the simple changes like being more efficient can start at the public level, and these simple practices can have a great impact on the environment.

Peter will work with Earth Protect on development of sustainability content, we welcome him.

Fossil Fuels are running low and greenhouse gases are only becoming worse. Which direction in renewable energy will provide for a better environment along with better methods for producing energy?

Hydropower has been used for hundreds of years. The first uses of hydropower were for grinding of grains by farmers, using large wooden wheels turned by the water power. Hydroelectric energy accounts for up to 10 percent of the total electricity used in the United States. In fact water power supplies 15 percent of all electricity to California (Energy Quest, n.d.). Hydroelectric energy can reduce greenhouse gas emission and waste produced from conventional energy production.