A report released this week by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) states that carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S.in 2009 saw the largest percentage decline of 405 million metric tons or 7% since the start of the EIA’s record of annual energy data started in 1949.

EIA Administrator, Richard Newell stated, “The large decline in emissions was driven by the economic downturn, combined with an ongoing trend toward a less energy-intensive economy and a decrease in the carbon-intensity of the energy supply.”

In another report, the EIA projects that renewable generated electricity will account for 17% of total U.S. electricity generation in 2035 up from 9% in 2008.  The report states that this growth is driven mainly by the extension of Federal tax credits and the loan guarantee program in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The report points out that growth in renewable energy could continue to increase with government incentives to promote development.

As revealed in the EIA report, individual homeowners who have invested in solar energy systems will assist in the long-term U.S. decline in carbon emissions.