This document discusses renewable energy sources and their potential to power the United States. It analyzes current US energy consumption from fossil fuels and renewables. The feasibility of transitioning to 100% renewable energy is also examined. Calculations show transitioning would require around 2% more land, or 46 million additional acres, which could potentially come from reducing turf grass or livestock grazing land. A variety of renewable sources are outlined, including their current usage and potential if scaled up.

1. Renewable Energy
for a Sustainable
Future
EDD 306
Megan Munley
Brooke Hildebrand

2. Scope
● Current Fossil Fuel Usage vs Current Renewable Energy Usage in United
States
● Land Usage and Energy Production of Fossil Fuels and Renewable
Energies in United States
● Feasibility of switching to one hundred percent renewable energy usage
in the United States in present time

3. Renewable Energy vs Fossil Fuels

4. Renewable Energy
● Also referred to as clean energy
● Energy from sources that can be naturally replenished within a human’s
lifetime
● Currently 11% of the U.S. energy consumption
● Growing in scale as environmental degradation continues and demand
for clean energy increases

5. Renewable Energy By Region
● Graph shows
converting to 80%
renewables by 2050
● Types of renewable
energy vary by region

6. Renewable Energy Types:
Hydroelectric
● Electricity produced from water that
is flowing
● Currently 2.75% of the U.S. energy
consumption
● One of the oldest sources of energy
for producing mechanical and
electrical energy

7. Renewable Energy Types:
Solar Power
● Electricity produced from solar
radiation
● Currently 0.66% of the U.S. energy
consumption
● Cleanest and most abundant
renewable energy source available
● U.S. has some of the richest solar
resources in the world

8. Renewable Energy Types:
Wind Power
● Electricity produced from wind
kinetic energy
● Currently 2.31% of the U.S. energy
consumption
● US onshore wind resources could
generate ~11,000 GW of electricity,
123 times more than current
installed capacity of 82.1GW

9. Renewable Energy Types:
Geothermal
● Electricity produced from the
Earth’s heat
● Currently 0.22% of the U.S. energy
consumption
● Upper 10ft of Earth's surface
maintains nearly constant
temperature between 50°F and
60°F

10. Renewable Energy Types:
Tidal Power
● Electricity produced from tides of
the ocean
● Three type of structures
○ Tidal barrages
○ Tidal turbines
○ Tidal fences
● More predictable than sun and wind

11. Renewable Energy Types:
Wave Energy
● Electricity produced from energy
contained in water waves that
propagates the ocean surface
● Significant research is still needed
to further the efficiency of these
systems
● Theoretical annual energy
production for the US is 66%

12. Renewable Energy Types:
Biomass
● Electricity produced from non
fossilized plant matter
● Currently 4.95% of the U.S. energy
consumption
● Contains stored energy from the
sun
● Examples: wood, agricultural crops
and waste, yard waste, food waste,
manure, human waste

13. Fossil Fuels
● World's primary energy source
● Formed over the course of millions of years from organic material
● Main types: coal, petroleum oil and natural gas
● Finite resources that cannot be naturally replenished
● Cause irreparable harm the environment including Climate Change
○ Burning of fossil fuels was responsible for 76 percent of U.S.
greenhouse gas emissions in 2016

14. Fossil Fuels Types:
Petroleum
● Electricity produced from liquid
hydrocarbons
● Currently 37% of the U.S. energy
consumption
● Found in geological formations
beneath Earth's surface
● Formed from remains of ancient
marine organisms

15. Fossil Fuels Types:
Coal
● Electricity produced from
prehistoric compacted vegetation
● Currently 14% of the U.S. energy
consumption
● Mostly carbon with variable
amounts of other elements;
hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and
nitrogen

16. Fossil Fuels Types:
Natural Gas
● Electricity produced from naturally
occurring hydrocarbon gas mixture
● Currently 29% of the U.S. energy
consumption
● Cleanest fossil fuel
● Mostly Methane
● Abundant resource in US- America
the world’s leading producer

17. Other Energy:
Nuclear
● Produced by splitting atoms in a
reactor through nuclear fission
● Heats water which turns a turbine
to generate electricity
● Provides power without the
pollutants of fossil fuel production
● US is world's largest producer of
nuclear power

18. Fossil Fuels
Pros and Cons
❖ Pros
➢ Less land usage
❖ Cons
➢ Exhaustible amounts of
finite resources
➢ Negative environmental
impacts
■ Greenhouse Gas
Emissions
Renewable energy
Pros and Cons
❖ Pros
➢ Better for environment
➢ Naturally Replenished
❖ Cons
➢ Uses more land
➢ Initial cost is more
expensive than fossil
fuels

19. Calculations: Our Findings
● US energy consumption
in 2017:
○ 97.7 quadrillion Btu

20. 2017 U.S. Energy Consumption by Energy
Source
Petroleum 37%
Natural Gas 29%
Coal 14%
Nuclear 9%
Renewable 11%
Geothermal 0.22%
Solar 0.66%
Wind 2.31%
Biomass 4.95%
Hydro 2.75%

21. Land use by Electricity Source:
Acres per Megawatt Produced
Petroleum* 12.41
Natural Gas 12.41
Coal 12.21
Nuclear 12.71
Renewable N/A
Geothermal* 3.5
Solar 43.50
Wind 70.64
Biomass* 182.50
Hydro 315.22

22. Petroleum*
❖ Since there was not conclusive data about the amount of Acres
per Megawatt produced for Petroleum, the process of acquiring
and manufacturing petroleum was looked into. This process
was very similar to that of Natural Gas. Therefore, the same
value of Acres per Megawatt produced for Petroleum as found
for Natural Gas
❖ Acres per Megawatt Produced:
➢ Petroleum ≈ Natural Gas = 12.41

23. Geothermal*
❖ “An entire geothermal field uses 1-8 acres per megawatt (MW)”
❖ (8-1)/2 = 3.5
❖ 3.5 is the average acre per MW

24. Biomass*
❖ ¼ acre = 12 MWh produced of biomass
❖ 1 acre = 48 MWh
❖ 48 MWh / (24 hours * 365 days) = 0.005479 MW
❖ 1 acre = 0.005479 MW
❖ Therefore:
➢ acre per MW = 182.50

25. Current Energy Consumption in Btu (per year) for 2017
Petroleum 97.7x1015 Btu * 0.37 = 3.61x1016 Btu
Natural Gas 97.7x1015 Btu * 0.29 = 2.83x1016 Btu
Coal 97.7x1015 Btu * 0.14 = 1.37x1016 Btu
Nuclear 97.7x1015 Btu * 0.09 = 8.79x1015 Btu
Geothermal 97.7x1015 Btu * 0.0022 = 2.15x1014 Btu
Solar 97.7x1015 Btu * 0.0066 = 6.45x1014 Btu
Wind 97.7x1015 Btu * 0.0231 = 2.26x1015 Btu
Biomass 97.7x1015 Btu * 0.0495 = 4.84x1015 Btu
Hydroelectric 97.7x1015 Btu * 0.0275 = 2.69x1015 Btu

26. Btu/year of Energy Consumption to Megawatt for 2017
Petroleum 3.61x1016 Btu/year * 3.343x10-11 MW = 1.2068x106 MW
Natural Gas 2.83x1016 Btu/year * 3.343x10-11 MW = 9.4607x105 MW
Coal 1.37x1016 Btu/year * 3.343x10-11 MW = 4.5799x105 MW
Nuclear 8.79x1015 Btu/year * 3.343x10-11 MW = 2.9385x105 MW
Geothermal 2.15x1014 Btu/year * 3.343x10-11 MW = 7.1875x103 MW
Solar 6.45x1014 Btu/year * 3.343x10-11 MW = 2.1562x104 MW
Wind 2.26x1015 Btu/year * 3.343x10-11 MW = 7.5552x104 MW
Biomass 4.84x1015 Btu/year * 3.343x10-11 MW = 1.6180x105 MW
Hydroelectric 2.69x1015 Btu/year * 3.343x10-11 MW = 8.9927x104 MW
1 Btu/year =
3.343x10-11 MW

27. Megawatt Energy Consumption to Acre for 2017
Petroleum 1.2068x106 MW * 12.41 Acres/MW = 1.49764x108 Acres
Natural Gas 9.4607x105 MW * 12.41 Acres/MW = 1.17407x107 Acres
Coal 4.5799x105 MW * 12.21 Acres/MW = 5.59206x106 Acres
Nuclear 2.9385x105 MW * 12.71 Acres/MW = 3.73483x106 Acres
Geothermal 7.1875x103 MW * 3.5 Acres/MW = 2.51563x104 Acres
Solar 2.1562x104 MW * 43.50 Acres/MW = 9.37947x105 Acres
Wind 7.5552x104 MW * 70.64 Acres/MW = 5.33699x106 Acres
Biomass 1.6180x105 MW * 182.50 Acres/MW = 2.95285x107 Acres
Hydroelectric 8.9927x104 MW * 315.22 Acres/MW = 2.83468x107 Acres
*See Previous slide for
Acres to Megawatt
conversions for each
energy source.

28. Total Acres of Land Used for Electricity
Production in 2017
❖ Total Acres2017 = The sum of the Individual Energy Sources Acreage
Use for 2017
❖ Total Acres2017 = 1.49764x108 + 1.17407x107 + 5.59206x106 + 3.73483x106
+ 2.51563x104 + 9.37947x105 + 5.33699x106 + 2.95285x107 + 2.83468x107
❖ Total Acres2017 = 2.32007x108 Acres

29. Percentage of Land Used for Electricity
Production in 2017
❖ The amount of land in the US is 2.3 billion Acres (2.3x109)
❖ The amount of land used for electricity in 2017 was:
Total Acres2017 = 2.32007x108 Acres
❖ Percentage2017 = (2.32007x108 Acres / 2.3x109 Acres) * 100 =
10.0873%

30. 100% Renewables U.S. Energy Consumption by
Energy Source
Petroleum 0%
Natural Gas 0%
Coal 0%
Nuclear 0%
Renewable 100%
Geothermal 15%
Solar 35%
Wind 30%
Biomass 10%
Hydro 10%

31. Current Energy Consumption in Btu (per year) for
100% Renewables
Petroleum 97.7x1015 Btu * 0 = 0 Btu
Natural Gas 97.7x1015 Btu * 0 = 0 Btu
Coal 97.7x1015 Btu * 0 = 0 Btu
Nuclear 97.7x1015 Btu * 0 = 0 Btu
Geothermal 97.7x1015 Btu * 0.15 = 1.466x1016 Btu
Solar 97.7x1015 Btu * 0.35 = 3.420x1016 Btu
Wind 97.7x1015 Btu * 0.30 = 2.931x1016 Btu
Biomass 97.7x1015 Btu * 0.10 = 9.77x1015 Btu
Hydroelectric 97.7x1015 Btu * 0.10 = 9.77x1015 Btu

32. Btu/year of Energy Consumption to Megawatt for 100% Renewables
Petroleum 0 Btu/year * 3.343x10-11 MW = 0 MW
Natural Gas 0 Btu/year * 3.343x10-11 MW = 0 MW
Coal 0 Btu/year * 3.343x10-11 MW = 0 MW
Nuclear 0 Btu/year * 3.343x10-11 MW = 0 MW
Geothermal 1.466x1016 Btu/year * 3.343x10-11 MW = 4.90084x105 MW
Solar 3.420x1016 Btu/year * 3.343x10-11 MW = 1.14331x106 MW
Wind 2.931x1016 Btu/year * 3.343x10-11 MW = 9.79833x105 MW
Biomass 9.77x1015 Btu/year * 3.343x10-11 MW = 3.26622x105 MW
Hydroelectric 9.77x1015 Btu/year * 3.343x10-11 MW = 3.26622x105 MW
1 Btu/year =
3.343x10-11 MW

33. Megawatt Energy Consumption to Acre for 100%
Renewables
Petroleum 0 MW * 12.41 Acres/MW = 0 Acres
Natural Gas 0 MW * 12.41 Acres/MW = 0 Acres
Coal 0 MW * 12.21 Acres/MW = 0 Acres
Nuclear 0 MW * 12.71 Acres/MW = 0 Acres
Geothermal 4.90084x105 MW * 3.5 Acres/MW = 1.71529x106 Acres
Solar 1.14331x106 MW * 43.50 Acres/MW = 4.97340x107 Acres
Wind 9.79833x105 MW * 70.64 Acres/MW = 6.92154x107 Acres
Biomass 3.26622x105 MW * 182.50 Acres/MW = 5.96086x107 Acres
Hydroelectric 3.26622x105 MW * 315.22 Acres/MW = 1.02954x108 Acres
*See Previous slide for
Acres to Megawatt
conversions for each
energy source.

34. Total Acres of Land Used for Electricity Production for
100% Renewables
❖ Total AcresRenew = The sum of the Individual Energy Sources Acreage Use for
100% Renewables
❖ Total AcresRenew = 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 1.71529x106 + 4.97340x107 + 6.92154x107
+ 5.96086x107 + 1.02954x108
❖ Total AcresRenew = 2.82687x108 Acres

35. Percentage of Land Used for Electricity Production for
100% Renewables
❖ The amount of land in the US is 2.3 billion Acres (2.3x109).
❖ The amount of land used for electricity for 100% Renewables is:
Total AcresRenew = 2.82687x108 Acres
❖ PercentageRenew = (2.82687x108 Acres / 2.3x109 Acres) * 100 = 12.2907%

36. *Using the data
for 2017 Energy
Consumption
(97.7x1015 Btu)

37. *Using the data
for 2017 Energy
Consumption
(97.7x1015 Btu)

38. Results
❖ We would need about 2% more US land to satisfy the land use for
100% renewables. This is equal to about 46,000,000 more acres of US
land towards energy production.
❖ Where could this land come from?
➢ As of 2005, researchers estimate there is around 40 million acres
of turf grass in the US
➢ Around 780 million acres of US land is used for livestock grazing

39. References
● https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/?page=us_energy_home
● https://www.elp.com/articles/print/volume-91/issue-3/sections/wave-tida-energy-could-grow-in-us.html
● https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.php?page=hydropower_tidal
● https://www.nrdc.org/stories/renewable-energy-clean-facts#sec-whatis
● https://blog.ucsusa.org/steve-clemmer/u-s-renewable-electricity-future-is-within-
reach?_ga=2.72152085.749140426.1556731320-1756859220.1556731320
● http://biomassbrokerage.com/conversions-calculations/
● https://www.nei.org/fundamentals/what-is-nuclear-energy
● http://mb-soft.com/public3/globalzk.html
● https://www.energy.gov/eere/geothermal/geothermal-power-plants-minimizing-land-use-and-impact
● https://www.freeingenergy.com/how-much-solar-would-it-take-to-power-the-u-s/
● https://www.westernwatersheds.org/watmess/watmess_2002/2002html_summer/article6.htm
● https://scienceline.org/2011/07/lawns-vs-crops-in-the-continental-u-s/
● http://www.aweo.org/windunits.html

40. Questions?