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Essay / Electric Power Generation in the United States
Table of ContentsFossil FuelsNatural GasOilNuclearThe history of electricity generation is long and convoluted, marked by a myriad of technological, conceptual, and technical milestones, carried out by hundreds of contributors. This report will examine all conventional and unconventional sources of electricity generation from historical, economic, technological and safety perspectives, compare the sources on various parameters and provide an idea of future trends in the industry and the how recent technological advancements will impact the industry. Energy market projections are subject to a great deal of uncertainty because many of the events that shape energy markets and future developments in technologies, demographics and resources cannot be predicted with certainty. This report will not go into detail on the generation techniques of energy sources but will give a brief overview of all energy sources in the United States and give an idea of the latest developments in this sector. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayFossil FuelsIn 2017, approximately 4.015 billion kilowatts of energy were produced from utility-scale installations public in the United States. About 63% of this production was produced from fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, oil and other gases). COAL Even if coal has declined in recent years (coal consumption fell from 1112.29 million short tons in 2006 to 716.96 million short tons in 2017, a reduction of 35%), production remains most used electricity. source of energy in 18 states and contributes 30% of the total electricity produced. Coal remains the most common fuel for electricity in parts of Appalachia, including Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia. It is also the leader in other major coal-producing states such as Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. Closures of coal-fired power plants driven by free-market economics, environmental regulations, and customers demanding cleaner energy occurred regularly throughout 2017. As the president's "energy dominance" agenda Trump gave the false impression that federal efforts could revive coal, with 27 coal plants totaling 22 GW announced for early closure or conversion in 2017, about one in 15 days since Trump's election. A survey of the 16 largest utilities and power producers, which among them own half of the installed electricity capacity, does not bode well for coal power. Of the other nine power producers among the top 16, four — NextEra Energy, Exelon, Calpine and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — operate no coal-fired power plants today. The bottom five NRG Energy (27% coal), American Electric Power (47% coal), MidAmerican Energy (30% coal), Entergy (9.3% coal) and Talen (34% coal) do not have not publicly revealed their long term. long term, although some have taken part in the ongoing retirement party in the coal sector. Natural gas Data from BP's 2018 World Energy Statistical Survey showed that last year the United States maintained a healthy lead as the world's natural gas powerhouse. In 2017, the United States produced an average of 71.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. In 2016, natural gas provided 34% of total electricity generation, surpassing coal.