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Progress Towards Federal Goal - July 2003

When the federal goal, Executive Order 13123, was established in June 2000, it represented about 1,355 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity. At that time, agencies were obtaining more than 170 GWh, or about 13 percent of the goal, from renewable resources.

Now, we're more than halfway to the goal! July 2003 data reveal that the federal government is using approximately 798 GWh of renewable energy, or about 58 percent of the revised goal of 1,384 GWh. The new goal takes into account recent increases in overall federal electricity use.

This pie chart, updated with July 2003 data, reveals that the federal government is using a total of approximately 798 GWh of renewable energy. The pie is divided as follows: 294.99 GWh of renewable energy is obtained from renewable energy purchases/credits, 24.71 GWh is obtained from PV, 148.14 GWh is obtained from ground source heat pumps, 103.99 GWh is obtained from biomass fuels, 6.48 GWh is obtained from solar thermal, 108.44 GWh is obtained from biomass power, 92.44 GWh is obtained from biomass thermal, and 18.83 GWh is obtained from wind.

A notable gain towards this goal is NASA's landfill gas project in Greenbelt, Maryland, which accounts for the 108.4 GWh of the biomass thermal contribution shown in pie chart.

Other success stories include renewable energy purchases and purchases of renewable energy credits, which increased from 127 GWh to more than 310 GWh. The Department of Defense alone has at least 19 agreements to purchase renewable energy or renewable energy credits, totaling more than 215 GWh annually. For the most part, renewable power purchases involve federal facilities buying electricity from wind sources.

The amount of photovoltaic (solar electricity) and solar thermal applications also continues to grow. For example, the Coronado Naval Air Station in Coronado, California, installed a 750-kW PV system that was financed under an energy savings performance contract. Also, the Coast Guard, Navy, and Army are increasing the number of solar water heating systems at their facilities in Hawaii.

It is important to remember that the total of 798 GWh includes only renewable energy from projects or power purchases that were signed after 1990, because Executive Order 13132 was enacted to encourage the use of new renewable energy. Pioneering projects in federal renewable energy use actually began in the 1980s. Many small biomass projects and thousands of solar systems were installed before 1990. While they cannot be counted toward the 2.5 percent renewable energy goal, they certainly paved the way for today's renewable energy projects.

Guidance (PDF 1.5 MB, 37 pp) has been issued to assist agencies in fulfilling the federal renewable energy goal established in response to Executive Order 13123. Download Adobe Reader.