Age of Electricity

[Boydstun 232]

Annual amount of electrical energy produced by countries of the world is here.

Leading source for generation of electric power for each US state, 2001 v 2019. Information used by NYT (10/28/20) in making these maps is from the US Energy Information Agency.

[Boydstun 232]

 

Advantages of AC

(Clicking on the "power" will bring the equations into the text.)

Edited October 31 by Boydstun

[Boydstun 232]

 

Rise of the Steam Turbine

80% of the world's electricity is produced through steam turbines.

[MisterSwig 153]

So natural gas is replacing coal? Is this a good or bad thing for the country? I guess much of the transition has to do with anti-coal regulations.

[Boydstun 232]

MS, I gather that natural gas overtaking coal in so many states is mainly due to the greater amount of natural gas that became available with advances in fracking and horizontal drilling, making the price of natural gas more competitive for power plants. We have sulfur-dioxide emission limits, especially, also resulting in less generation by coal-fired plants. Fall in SO2 Emissions 2006-2015. (SO2 in the air is harmful to breathing and reduces visibility.) The States in which wind overtook coal for electrical generation may have been due to increase in number of wind-power generators. The cases in which hydro or nuclear overtook coal may have been possible due to buying power from others, including Canada.

A nuclear fuel pellet the size of a thimble can produce as much steam as 100 box cars of coal. Four boxcars will have been consumed in producing that pellet. However, the procedures and dollars required to ensure the lack of nuclear-power accidents that the US has enjoyed since TMI is enormous, and therefore nuclear cannot make the other types of fuel uncompetitive. It is a good point, of course, to not put all our eggs in one basket, and I'd say good also to not be drastically dependent on importation of fuels for power generation or on importation of electricity.