Data exploration and visualization of energy production in the United States. See where our coutry’s energy is coming from and what it will take for the U.S. to become an energy leader.
America has been generating energy from fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas for decades. There has been debate on how many years until these sources are depleted, but if we continue consuming at the current rate, whether in our lifetime or not, these non-renewable sources will eventually run out. Another negative implication surrounding the production of electricity from fossil fuels is the increased link between emissions and changes in climate.
In 2018, approximately 60% of the oil consumed each day in the U.S. was imported. In order for America to remain at the forefront of energy production, we need to begin shifting more aggressively to sustainable and progressive methods.
Over the last 50 years, the amount of electricity generated has continued to increase. There have been some efforts to begin incorporating renewable sources into our electricity generation methods, but currently renewable sources make up only 17% of the total.
A study was done by the U.S. Department of Energy estimating the potential for electricity generation for a number of renewable technologies, such as:
Solar (Rural PV, Urban PV, Rooftop PV, and Concentrating Solar Power)
- Wind (Onshore and Offshore)
- Biopower (Solid and Gaseous)
- Geothermal (Hydrothermal and Geothermal)
- Hydropower
Each technology has a unique potential in each state, and illustrated below one can view geographically where the highest potential is for each technology.
Besides the fairly obvious observation that Texas and California have high potential for many of these technologies, these maps also show that the potential for each technology is spread across much of the country. This demonstrates a plausibility to gradually convert our energy production to more renewable sources, as we can fully utilize the entirety of the United States to maximize production.
Is it even conceivable to rely entirely on renewable technologies, based on the amount of electricity the U.S. needs to produce each year? Let’s compare the total amount of electricity produced in 2018 with the total potential from all renewable sources.
Yes, you are seeing that correctly. And yes, I triple checked my calculations, code, and conversions. This data shows just how much potential there is in solar technologies — enough to power the country 100 times over! And unless the sun dies, we shouldn’t have to worry about running out of this resource any time soon.
Not only do we have the technological potential, we have a growing list of reasons compelling us to make this a priority:
- Climate change effects due to fossil fuel emissions
- Billions of dollars in subsidies for fossil fuels
- Dependence on finite sources causing cost of fossil fuels to increase
- High percentage of fossil fuels being imported
- Renewable technologies generating more jobs for Americans
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