The current electricity mix
Though renewable energy is growing fast, the U.S. still gets the vast majority of its power from conventional power plants. Most of these are coal-powered, making them a leading cause of smog, climate change, and toxic air emissions that can lead to serious illnesses like childhood asthma. Coal production is followed by nuclear power, natural gas, and hydroelectric power. We’ve taken a look at all the most common electricity sources here using data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Coal power
Coal is the single biggest source of air pollution in the U.S., and provides almost half of our electricity. A typical coal plant burns about 1.4 million tons of coal every year. That generates almost 4 million tons of CO2, the equivalent of cutting down 161 million trees, and contributes directly to climate change. All of that dirty air also causes asthma, chronic bronchitis, and even premature death. Coal plants also generate mercury, lead, and arsenic, which are toxic even in tiny doses and can get in our drinking water. Mining coal causes more pollution. In short, it’s a very dirty business. There are 1445 coal plants in operation in the U.S. today.
Natural gas
Natural gas plants ranks second, with the different types of plants providing around 23% of the country’s power. Although natural gas emits less CO2 than coal, it emits more methane, which is actually far worse for climate change (a ton of methane traps 25 times more heat than a ton of CO2). We don’t know the exact amount of the emissions because, so far, oil and gas companies haven’t been required to report their greenhouse gas data. Drilling for natural gas poses additional problems, like groundwater pollution. There are 5467 natural gas generators in operation now; the number of plants has been growing rapidly, at a rate of 136% from 1998-2002 [PDF].
Nuclear power
Nuclear power plants are also common, providing about 20% of the power used in the U.S. Nuclear power has been touted as a cleaner alternative to fossil fuel plants, but it has major issues. We’ve written about how nuclear power is now more expensive than solar power; that’s because of the incredible expense of building new nuclear reactors. Who pays for new reactors? Often, you do. Utilities don’t want to foot the bill, since plants can take over a decade to build and cost at least $10 billion dollars, so they pass the costs on to ratepayers. Not only are nuclear reactors astoundingly expensive, they also pose major risks: there’s the chance of catastrophic accidents, the dangers to our health from mining uranium, and the problem of dealing with tons (literally) of hazardous waste from each reactor every year. Not the smartest solution for providing electricity. There are 104 nuclear power plants in operation now in the U.S.
Hydroelectric power
Dams are another significant energy source, creating about 7% of the country’s energy (about twice as much as all other renewables combined). Though dams use a renewable resource, they do have challenges. Large dams are extremely expensive to build. Flooding large areas of land destroys habitat and can force humans to relocate. Dams can also cause geological damage, which can contribute to earthquakes in some areas. They also affect the water table level, and can negatively affect wildlife like salmon. There are 3,996 conventional hydroelectric power generators in operation now.
Other renewables
Renewable power sources like wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal make up about 3% of our electricity sources. Wind is the largest of these, with the capacity to generate 2% of the nation’s electricity. Wood comes next, followed by other biomass, and then geothermal. Right now, solar comes after these, contributing just .04% of U.S. electricity production. This number is getting bigger all the time, though, as solar becomes more and more popular. In 2010, solar growth is projected to exceed 40%. Interested in going solar? Join us (it’s free!).
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