Fuel mix diversity, sustainability, and energy security

Increased energy security refers to a more resilient energy system, which is better able to withstand shocks with minimal disruptions in economic functioning, human health and environmental quality. States achieve increased resiliency via direct security measures such as increased surveillance, but more importantly by altering the structure of energy and economic systems. Such alterations include reducing risk by increasing redundancy in each system and by increased fuel and sectoral diversity in addition to increased relative supply of fuels, potentially by increasing energy efficiency. Also, an increase in the use of domestically produced fuels such as renewable energy, reduces security risks. Because energy security is an important policy consideration in overall energy policy planning, states may reasonably consider the energy security implications of how their economy has changed over time, in addition to the energy security implications of their energy efficiency, renewable energy and carbon efficiency enhancing programs. Thus, the objective of this paper is to analyze at the state level, changes between 1980 and 2000, in fuel and sectoral diversity, energy efficiency and use of renewable fuels, focusing on industrial and electric utilities sectors The results in this paper reveal substantial state level differences and demonstrate that energy security has overall increased in only two states, based on a simultaneous favorable movement in the three parameters analyzed. Only one state exhibits a non-favorable movement in all parameters and thus reduced energy security.