The California Public Utilities Commission has
approved a power purchase agreement between a California
utility and BrightSource Energy, marking a step forward in
BrightSource's utility-scale concentrating solar power project
in the Mojave Desert.
Today’s challenges of reducing greenhouse gas emissions while meeting the country’s steadily rising demand for electricity make it essential for legislatures and public utility commissions to shift their focus toward mechanisms that make demand reduction as profitable for utilities as increasing supply. (Source: Institute for 21st Century Energy)
Public policies such as appliance and vehicle efficiency standards and building codes are responsible for at least 20% of the improvement in the US's energy intensity--energy use per unit of GDP. (Source: Institute for 21st Century Energy)
In 2007, renewable sources of energy accounted for about 7% of total U.S. energy consumption and 9.4% of electricity generation. (Source: EIA)
Appliances account for roughly 65% of electricity consumption in the average American household (2001), with refrigerators and lighting making up the largest categories. (Source: EIA)
The United States makes up 5% of the world's population and accounts for 25% of total energy use.
