Pub.1 2019-2020 Issue 3

How can the U.S. most effectively fight energy poverty? First, you have to look at where we currently stand. The U.S. Energy Information Administration released an online report dated Jan. 14, 2020. It is worth looking at and can be found at www.eia.gov/outlooksw/steo/report/electricity.php. The report has a graph showing electricity generation by fuel for all sectors, measured in trillion kilowatt-hours. • Coal, at 24% by the end of 2019, is continuing to decrease and is expected to be at 21% by the end of 2021. • Natural gas is increasing: it provided 37% at the end of 2019 and is expected to provide 38% in 2020 and drop back to 37% in 2021. • The other fuel sources for energy generation are nuclear power, non-hy- dro renewables (including geothermal, solar panels and wind farms), hydropower, and others that the report says are biofuels production losses and co-products. Nuclear power has held steady in its contribution since about 2014, but based on current political winds looks unlikely to grow in the near term. Non-hydro renewables have increased, but not by much; in 2019, the increase was 17% and in 2020 it is expected to be 19%, thanks to increased electrical generation from wind and sun. What do these numbers tell you? If you look at the amount of energy gen- erated by fuel, renewable energy is not currently able to meet the total U.S. need for energy and is not projected to do so in the near-term, despite recent growth from these sources. That means we need to find other ways to get the energy we need. For a comprehensive, 85-page report about the international energy outlook, available online, refer to the report issued Sept. 24, 2019, by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. For more information about energy rankings on a state-by-state basis, with links for additional state rankings on consumption, expenditures, prices, production, the environment and more, visit eia.gov/state/rankings. What can the U.S., and also its energy industries, do to protect U.S. interests and to make sure its citizens have the energy they need? For the EIA Annual Energy Outlook2020 Report https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/aeo/pdf/AEO2020%20Full%20Report.pdf The answer is twofold: • Affordable, Clean, Reliable Fuel: The U.S. needs to continue to produce energy that is as clean and affordable as possible. That means we need a healthy oil and gas industry that can continue increasing efficiency and generating more and more of the low-cost reliable energy needed by the U.S. Renewable energy is already playing a growing role in our energy mix, and natural gas is the stabilizing backbone that will allow the continued growth of renewables. • Energy Savings: The U.S. needs to do what it can to reduce the amount of energy its people consume. There are many opportunities to shift our current system and norms to provide for significant savings. One is upgrading energy infrastructure, both at the utility level and on the con- sumer side. This includes continuing to reward people for improving the energy efficiency of their homes. Another is shifting to more multifamily housing, and rewarding commercial property owners for making the same improvements private homeowners are already getting. Many things change over time. The best solution now will probably not be the best solution for tomorrow. But we do know that energy poverty is a real and substantial problem. The global goal has to be eradicating it. The best tool to eliminate energy poverty now and into the future is to encourage continued development of the most affordable, reliable, cleanest, safest energy sources we can. Natural gas is already able to provide the energy we need. The oil and gas industry is a viable and real part of the solution to the world’s most pressing problems, particularly energy poverty. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)/. 21 UP DATE