We explore what you need to know about how we get electricity and how renewable and non-renewable power is generated.
For Americans, electricity use is a major component of their ecological footprint, yet they tend to pay minimal attention to it. But if you understand how the power grid works, there are opportunities to conserve and save.
Some people need tens of thousands of dollars to convert their home to solar power, but that doesn’t mean they can afford to buy into an electric utility like their internet provider. So we turn off the lights when we leave the room and focus most of our attention on recycling and buying eco-friendly products. But even if it seems like you can’t do much about the energy you use, it’s important to understand where your electricity comes from and how it affects your ecological footprint.
Knowing your energy sources and their ecological costs can help you decide where to focus your actions to make the biggest difference.
power structure
Your electric bill may come from the city, but your electricity doesn’t. The power plants that produce electricity and the utilities that distribute that electricity to users are mostly investor-owned companies. Among generators, nuclear power plant Like most things, almost all of them are privately owned. coal power plant and natural gas producer. that most damsAlthough companies that produce hydroelectric power are also private, the largest companies are owned by the federal government.
public power utility — a community-owned, non-profit electric utility — generates only about 10% of America’s electricity and distributes 15% of the power used. There are cooperative utilities, but many are often the same companies that own the power plants.
Utility companies act as electricity wholesalers, purchasing power from multiple generators. This means that the electricity you use in your home does not come from a single source. for example, washington state It is famous for exporting hydroelectric power. grand coulee dam. However, the largest portion of energy used by Washingtonians is natural gas.
types of electricity
The expression ‘clean energy’ is a bit confusing. When it enters a power line, all electricity is equal. But even if the difference is indistinguishable in the final product, the source of the energy has a big impact on whether it is ‘clean’ or ‘dirty’. Few people in the United States rely on a single energy source, and the mix can vary greatly by state and region. As of 2022, overall power mix In the United States, it consists of:
| natural gas | 38.9% |
| coal | 19.7% |
| nuclear | 18.2% |
| Non-hydro renewable energy | 15.3% |
| Hydroelectric power generation (existing) | 6.0% |
| oil and other sources | 0.8% |
Each source of electricity has a different impact on the environment. They all use non-renewable resources, generate polluting and/or hazardous waste, or destroy sensitive habitats. In this series, we take a deeper look at where Americans get their power and analyze the pros and cons of each source.
your energy source
The U.S. Energy Information Administration provides: More information Regarding the state’s electricity production and consumption, the New York Times translated the data as follows: Convenient graphics It’s easier to understand.
To get a clear idea of your own energy footprint, the EPA power profiler You can calculate your home’s emissions individually by entering your zip code and average monthly electricity usage (found on your most recent electricity bill). It also tells us how many trees would need to be planted to offset the carbon produced by that amount of electricity.
what you can do
If, like most people, you can’t plant enough trees to offset the carbon your electricity produces, there are steps you can take to reduce your impact. The greenest thing you can do is to build your own solar power rather than using commercially supplied electricity, which may be cheaper than you think.
But even if your own solar power system is out of reach, you can still make your energy greener. Many utility companies offer green power portfolios. Let’s go back to the example of Washington state. Washington’s baseline energy mix makes it one of the greenest cities in the country, while the city of Seattle’s green up The program gives residents the option to support new renewable energy sources through a surcharge on their electric bills. Check with your local utility to see if a similar program is available where you live.
While programs like Green Up are somewhat unusual, energy efficiency programs are much more common. Utilities offer rebates and incentives for everything from home energy audits to insulation and programmable thermostats. But even if your power company can’t help you, you can still save money by reducing usage at home with some simple energy hacks.
What is the difference?
Using less energy is always a good idea. But if you live in a state like Vermont, Idaho, or Washington that is most dependent on renewable energy, you may have other priorities. Driving less and switching to an electric vehicle will have a bigger impact than turning off the thermostat.
However, if you live in Delaware, Ohio, or New Jersey, where renewable energy makes up less than 3% of your energy portfolio, your calculations may look a little different. Electric vehicles are more environmentally friendly However, if your electricity is dirty, the improvements may not be worth the cost compared to home efficiency improvements such as insulation and triple glazing.
Although no energy source is environmentally friendly, not all electricity is created equal. Individuals cannot always control the source of their electricity. But knowing the environmental costs of your energy mix can help you make better environmental decisions. This is true even if all you do is consistently turn off the lights when you leave the room.
Read the second part of this series.What you need to know about renewable energy
Editor’s note: This article was first published on December 23, 2019. This article was updated in December 2024.
