According to the National Resources Defense Council, renewable energy comes from natural sources that are constantly and sustainably replenished, including wind, solar, biomass, biogas, geothermal, hydropower, and offshore wind, wave, and tidal energy. The Data-Planet repository includes a wealth of statistics on these types of energy, sourced from several government and international organizations.
Politics and Renewable Energy
Clink on the links below to view DataSheets comprising statistical abstracts complete with infographics of indicators relevant to lobbying activities of renewable energy firms, as well as government contract awards in this sector, in Data-Planet Statistical Ready Reference. From the infographic, you can also enter Data-Planet Statistical Datasets to further manipulate the data and explore relationships between these statistics and other indicators in the vast Data-Planet repository. [Note that when you are logged into Statistical Ready Reference, you can also create an updated version of the DataSheet to view the latest version of the data.]
Soft money receipts of the Renewable Fuels Association PAC.
Government contracts awarded to the Powerup Solar Corporation.
Funds awarded to the Solar Energy Partnership Support and Barrier Elimination program.
Lobbying expenditures of the Enron Wind Corp.
Lobbying expenditures of the Renewable Energy Group.
Ranking of states by the amount of funding awarded to the Biomass Research and Development program.
Renewable Energy in the United States
Clink on the links below to view DataSheets comprising statistical abstracts complete with infographics of indicators relevant to renewable energy production and consumption in the United States. From the infographic, created in Data-Planet Statistical Ready Reference, you can enter Data-Planet Statistical Datasets to further manipulate the data and explore relationships between these statistics and other indicators in the vast Data-Planet repository. [Note that when you are logged into Statistical Ready Reference, you can also create an updated version of the DataSheet to view the latest version of the data.]
Biomass Total - Shows the trend in biomass consumption in the United States.
Geothermal Energy - Shows the trend in consumption of geothermal energy by the commercial sector in Nebraska.
Hydroelectricity - Shows the trend in hydroelectricity production in Nevada.
Photovoltaic and Solar Thermal Energy - Displays a ranking of states by amount of solar energy consumed by the residential and commercial sectors in the US.
Renewable Energy Consumption - Shows the trend in consumption of renewable energy in Oregon.
Wind Energy - Presents the trend in the amount of electricity produced from wind energy in California.
The American Community Survey, 5-year, reports estimates of the numbers of housing units that use various types of fuel. This DataSheet shows the numbers of housing units using solar energy.
Renewable Energy Worldwide
Click on the links below to view DataSheets comprising statistical abstracts complete with infographics of indicators relevant to renewable energy production and consumption worldwide in Data-Planet Statistical Ready Reference. From the infographic, you can also enter Data-Planet Statistical Datasets to further manipulate the data and explore relationships between these statistics and other indicators in the vast Data-Planet repository. [Note that when you are logged into Statistical Ready Reference, you can also create an updated version of the DataSheet to view the latest version of the data.]
Biofuel production - Shows the trend in biofuel production worldwide.
Biofuel consumption - Shows the trend in biofuel consumption in Brazil.
Geothermal Energy - Shows the trend in generation of electricity from geothermal resources worldwide.
Hydroelectricity - Shows the worldwide trend in hydroelectricity capacity.
Renewable Energy Generation - Shows the trend in generation of energy from renewable sources in Argentina.
Photovoltaic and Solar Energy - Displays a ranking of European nations by solar photovoltaic electricity capacity.
Wind Electricity - Shows the worldwide trend in generation of electricity from wind.
Renewable Energy Industries
Click on the links below to view DataSheets comprising statistical abstracts complete with infographics of indicators relevant to renewable energy industries in Data-Planet Statistical Ready Reference. From the infographic, you can also enter Data-Planet Statistical Datasets to further manipulate the data and explore relationships between these statistics and other indicators in the vast Data-Planet repository. [Note that when you are logged into Statistical Ready Reference, you can also create an updated version of the DataSheet to view the latest version of the data.]
The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the standard used by federal agencies for classifying business establishments in the United States. NAICS is a 2- through 6-digit hierarchical classification system. The codes in use through 2012 included 221111 for Hydroelectric Power Generation industries. An update to the NAICS codes implemented in 2012 include several more codes relevant to Renewable Energy; however, statistics are not widely available by these codes because of their recency.
Another way to look for statistics on renewable energy industries is to explore stock data on companies in these industries:
Haitian Hydropower International Ltd
To begin exploring statistics on renewable energy in Data-Planet Statistical Ready Reference, type "renewable energy" in the search box. Alternatively, search on specific types of renewable energy resources, eg, solar, photovoltaic, hydroelectricity, etc.
The results page presents a short view of the records retrieved:
Click on a record and review the resulting DataSheet. Here you can view the trend, export the data in csv or Excel, export the DataSheet itself as a pdf, or click to View in Statistical Datasets, where you can examine relationships between recession periods and multiple indicators (see Exploring Renewable Energy Statistics in Statistical Datasets for more information).
The DataSheet contains a citation and also allows you to create a DOI of the DataSheet. The DOI ensures that each time you reference the data in a paper or elsewhere, the reader can view the exact view of the DataSheet at the time you created it. The resulting link also provides an opportunity to update the DataSheet with new data where available.
The Data-Planet repository includes many indicators related to oil production and prices in the United States, primarily sourced from the United States Energy Information Administration. Statistics range from the amount of crude oil production in the US, including offshore production, to the price of heating oil and gasoline by grade.
The data source, the Energy Information Administration (EIA), was created by Congress in 1977 and is an independent statistical and analytical agency within the United States Department of Energy. Its mission is to provide policy-independent data, forecasts, and analyses to promote sound policy making, efficient markets, and public understanding regarding energy and its interaction with the economy and the environment.
Click on the links below to view DataSheets comprising statistical abstracts complete with infographics of indicators relevant to oil production and prices in the US in Data-Planet Statistical Ready Reference. From the infographic, you can also enter Data-Planet Statistical Datasets to further manipulate the data and explore relationships between these statistics and other indicators in the vast Data-Planet repository. [Note that when you are logged into Statistical Ready Reference, you can also create an updated version of the DataSheet to view the latest version of the data.]
The indicators below are linked to DataSheets. These are just a sampling to give you an idea of the granularity of the available data. There are many, many more indicators on this topic in the repository - add additional search terms or contact your library staff for help in formulating your search strategy.
US Offshore Crude Oil Production
Residential Heating Oil Prices
Retail Gasoline Prices – All Grades
Retail Gasoline Prices – Regular Grade
Retail Gasoline Prices – Mid-Grade
The chart below shows the trend in the price of light sweet crude oil to be delivered in the following month:
Create a comparison of multiple indicators related to energy prices in the US. As example, the chart below compares natural gas imports prices and average price of electric energy. To select multiple indicators, hold down the control (Ctrl) key when clicking on the second (or third) item on the indicator tree.
The Data Planet repository includes many indicators related to prices of and expenditures on commonly used fuels in the United States, primarily sourced from the United States Energy Information Administration, as well as other agencies such as the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Statistics range from the price of heating oil, electricity, and gasoline by grade to the type of fuels used in housing units and expenditures on housing fuels. The repository also includes data from the EIA State Energy Data System (SEDS), which provides tens of thousands of datapoints describing trends in energy production, consumption, prices, and expenditures by state.
Click on the links below to view DataSheets comprising statistical abstracts complete with infographics of indicators relevant to energy prices and expenditures in the US. Subscribers can link from the DataSheet into Data Planet Statistical Datasets to further manipulate the data and explore relationships between energy metrics and other indicators in the vast Data Planet repository. [Note that when you are logged into Data Planet, you can create an updated version of the DataSheet to view the latest available data.]
The indicators below are just a sampling to give you an idea of the granularity of the available data. There are many, many more indicators on this topic in the repository - add additional search terms or contact your library staff for help in formulating your search strategy.
Residential Heating Oil Prices
Electric Energy Average Price - All Sectors
Electric Energy Average Price - By Sector
Personal Consumption Expenditure by Type of Product - Gasoline and Other Energy Goods
American Community Survey - Count of Houses by Type of Heating Fuel
EASI Market Planner - Consumer Expenditures
Retail Gasoline Prices – All Grades
Retail Gasoline Prices – By Fuel Grade
Natural Gas Export vs Import Prices
Price of Natural Gas Delivered to Residential vs Commercial Customers
Renewable Energy from the Energy Totals Database
In Data Planet Statistical Datasets, the many indicators on the topic of energy prices and spending on fuels can be viewed as stand-alone trends, charts, or maps. For example, the chart below shows the monthly trend of retail gasoline prices in the United States since 1990:
Create a comparison of monthly variations in retail gasoline prices by grade. To select multiple indicators, select Compare Datasets at the top of the left hand navigation:
Next, select the indicators of interest as in the image below, and the data will populate the chart:
Try it yourself with another indicator, eg, Poverty Status, Unemployment Rate, and more. Keep in mind that the graphs you create do not necessarily imply causality: the results may suggest a potential relationship between the variables you select, which may be an interesting line of inquiry for your own research.