08 Jun PowerOn Energy Discusses Energy Trends From 2014
Our team at PowerOn Energy is always researching the latest trends in energy usage in the United States. This allows us to tailor our offerings to match the needs of consumers at any given time. 2014 was a relatively average year for Americans in terms of energy usage. Nonetheless, we still saw a few promising changes occurring in the renewable energy space.
Overall the United States consumed 0.9 quadrillion British Thermal Units (BTUs) more than the previous year. This represents an approximate 1% increase. Relative to the overall consumption, this is not a major change. Still, it is a huge amount of additional energy used.
On a brighter note, petroleum use was reduced by about 1%. This was largely a reduction in the industrial sector driven by an increased use of natural gas. Additionally, some of this decrease was fueled by an upswing in the usage of green energy sources. This is something we are very excited about at PowerOn Energy.
Solar energy jumped 33% from .32 quadrillion BTUs to .427 quadrillion BTUs. Many experts have attributed this to a fusion of several factors. These include the expanding solar industry, innovative financing options, and low global prices for panels. Wind saw an 8% increase while hydroelectricity declined by around 4%. This was partly due to the drought in California.
This data from 2014 paints a fairly clear picture for us at PowerOn Energy. While the overall power use of the United States is likely to keep growing, we can at least take solace that more and more of it will be solar energy.