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These Are North America’s Biggest Sources Of Electricity By State And Province

January 14, 2023

These Are North America’s Biggest Sources Of Electricity By State And Province

On a national scale, the United States and Canada rely on a very different makeup of sources to generate their electricity.

The U.S. primarily uses natural gas, coal, and nuclear power, while Canada relies on both hydro and nuclear. That said, when zooming in on the province or state level, individual primary electricity sources can differ greatly.

In the infographic below, Visual Capitalist’s Selin Oğuz takes a look at the electricity generation in the states and provinces of these two countries using data from the Nuclear Energy Institute (2021) and the Canada Energy Regulator (2019).

Natural Gas

Natural gas is widely used for electricity generation in the United States. Known as a “cleaner” fossil fuel, its abundance, coupled with an established national distribution network and relatively low cost, makes it the leading electricity source in the country.

In 2021, 38% of the 4120 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity generated in the U.S. came from natural gas. Not surprisingly, more than 40% of American states have natural gas as their biggest electricity source.

Here are some states that have the largest shares of natural gas-sourced electricity.

In Canada, natural gas is only the third-biggest electricity source (behind hydro and nuclear), accounting for 11% of the 632 TWh of electricity produced in 2019. Alberta is the only province with natural gas as its main source of electricity.

Nuclear

Nuclear power is a carbon-free energy source that makes up a considerable share of the energy generated in both the U.S. and Canada.

19% of America’s and 15% of Canada’s electricity comes from nuclear power. While the percentages are close to one another, it’s good to note that the United States generates 6 to 7 times more electricity than Canada each year, yielding a lot more nuclear power than Canada in terms of gigawatt hours (GWh) per year.

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One Of Spain’s Largest Hydro-Power Plants To Halt Operations As Drought Worsens

November 8, 2022

One Of Spain’s Largest Hydro-Power Plants To Halt Operations As Drought Worsens

A large drop in renewable energy output is forcing Spain to increase natural gas demand to generate electricity at a time Europe is in the worst energy crisis in a generation.

Spain’s hydropower output has been halved this year due to drought, and things could get a lot worse as one of the country’s largest hydropower plants is set to close.

Bloomberg reported the Mequinenza facility in the northeastern region of Aragon would halt hydropower generation in mid-November after water levels were 23% below capacity. It’ll be the first time the hydro plant has closed since it was constructed in 1996.

In the week through Nov. 1, Mequinenza was only producing 6,221 gigawatt-hours or operating at around 27% of total capacity. According to Bloomberg calculations based on Environmental Transition Ministry data, water levels in the reservoir have hit the lowest level since 1995. This means there’s not enough water flow to turn the plant’s turbines.

Spain’s hydropower generation has tumbled a whopping 53% this year through October, according to grid operator Red Electrica Corporacion SA. So when temperatures rise, and droughts persist, the hydropower industry gets squeezed hard.

Regarding other renewables like wind and solar, there is not enough output between the two to offset the loss in hydro, which means Spain has increased NatGas demand for power generation.

Data via network operator Enagas SA shows NatGas demand to generate electricity jumped 78% through October.

Source: Bloomberg

“A steep fall in renewable energy output is prompting the Mediterranean country to tap the fossil fuel to generate electricity at a time when Europe struggles with an unprecedented energy crisis following Russia’s decision to cut supply, which pushed prices to a record high,” Bloomberg said.

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Trudeau challenged over carbon pricing on 2nd day of town hall tour

January 13, 2017

Trudeau challenged over carbon pricing on 2nd day of town hall tour

Prime minister hears frustration from rural resident over high hydro costs in Ontario

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gestures during a town hall meeting in Peterborough, Ont. Friday. Trudeau faced an emotional question about carbon pricing - and sparked some controversy with a comment about a "phase out" of the oilsands.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gestures during a town hall meeting in Peterborough, Ont. Friday. Trudeau faced an emotional question about carbon pricing – and sparked some controversy with a comment about a “phase out” of the oilsands. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was pressed to justify the implementation of a federal price on carbon during a town hall forum on the second day of his whirlwind outreach tour on Friday.

At a public meeting in Peterborough, Ont., Trudeau was asked by a woman struggling to pay her bills, amid high hydro costs in the province, why he was proceeding with a carbon price.

“I feel like you have failed me, and I’m asking you today to fix that,” said the woman, who later identified herself as Kathy Katula of Buckhorn, Ont. “My heat and hydro (electricity) now cost me more than my mortgage.”

“I’m asking you, Mr. Trudeau, how do you justify to a mother of four children, three grandchildren, with physical disabilities, and working up to 15 hours a day, how is it justified for you to ask me to pay a carbon tax when I only have $65 left in my paycheque every two weeks to feed my family,” she said to applause.

Defending his policy on climate change, Trudeau said Canada needs to make a transition away from fossil fuels, but that governments need to ensure that the most vulnerable are taken into account.

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Undamming Rivers: A Chance For New Clean Energy Source

August 7, 2015

Undamming Rivers: A Chance For New Clean Energy Source

Many hydroelectric dams produce modest amounts of power yet do enormous damage to rivers and fish populations. Why not take down these aging structures, build solar farms in the drained reservoirs, and restore the natural ecology of the rivers?

Hydroelectric power is often touted as clean energy, but this claim is true only in the narrow sense of not causing air pollution. In many places, such as the U.S. East Coast, hydroelectric dams have damaged the ecological integrity of nearly every major river and have decimated runs of migratory fish.

This need not continue. Our rivers can be liberated from their concrete shackles, while also continuing to produce electricity at the site of former hydropower dams. How might that occur? A confluence of factors — the aging of many dams, the advent of industrial-scale alternative energy

Conowingo Dam

American Rivers
If Maryland’s Conowingo Dam were removed, large-scale solar projects could be built on the site of its drained 9,000-acre reservoir.

sources, and increasing recognition of the failure of traditional engineering approaches to sustain migratory fish populations — raises fresh possibilities for large rivers to continue to help provide power and, simultaneously, to have their biological legacies restored.

The answer may lie in “sharing” our dammed rivers, and the concept is straightforward. Remove aging hydroelectric dams, many of which produce relatively small amounts of electricity and are soon up for relicensing. When waters recede, rivers will occupy only part of the newly exposed reservoir bottoms. Let’s use these as a home for utility-scale solar and wind power installations, and let’s employ the existing power line infrastructure to the dams to connect the new solar and wind power facilities to the grid. This vision both keeps the electricity flowing from these former hydropower sites, while helping to resurrect once-abundant fish runs, as has recently happened in Maine. 

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As Site C Breaks Ground, Linked Union Declares Opposition

August 1, 2015

As Site C Breaks Ground, Linked Union Declares Opposition

BCGEU cites First Nation infringement and loss of habitat in motion against controversial dam.

The union representing many British Columbia government workers has taken a position against building the Site C dam, a project some of its members are working on and that other unions support.

“This was a membership driven motion,” said Stephanie Smith, the president of the B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union. “We have 68,000 members and there is a diversity of interests.”

Smith said the motion was brought forward by the union’s environment committee and passed unanimously. There was no debate even though Smith invited discussion, she said.

A statement from the union said it opposes building the dam because it is not needed, it will cause a loss of habitat, it infringes First Nations’ hunting and fishing rights, productive agricultural lands will be lost and it fails the economic test of “providing a lasting net benefit to British Columbians.”

First proposed some 30 years ago, Site C is to be the third of a series of dams on the Peace River and will flood an 83-kilometre long stretch of the river to generate 1,100 megawatt hours of electricity, enough to power 450,000 homes per year.

The provincial government approved the $8.8-billion BC Hydro project in Dec. 2014 and announced it intended to start construction this summer.

BC Hydro spokesperson Kevin Aquino confirmed project construction has begun, and will ramp up over the summer. ”Security has mobilized to [the] site and some initial clearing activities on the north bank of the dam site area are underway,” he said, adding gates and signage have been installed.

Several First Nations and local landowners have filed lawsuits trying to stop BC Hydro from building the dam.

Publicly owned asset

BCGEU members have been involved in the planning and approval of the project. Within B.C.’s energy and mines ministry, about half a dozen members are currently working on the Site C file, a ministry spokesperson confirmed.

 

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