A Regionally Based Energy End-Use Strategy: Case Studies from Centre County, Pennsylvania*

Abstract The production and use of fossil fuels and nonrenewable electricity creates many forms of environmental degradation. To reduce degradation, this research suggests an energy strategy based on energy end-use analysis and regional geography. Energy end-use analysis and regional geography are used to match renewable energy resources with site-specific, end-use needs. Fieldwork conducted within Centre County, Pennsylvania, demonstrates that small-scale solar, wind, and micro-hydropower resources could displace a proportion of household electricity use. Such an approach meets energy end-use needs, while conserving fossil fuels and reducing environmental degradation.

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