Energy flow in the US: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
[[file:US_Energy_Flow_2016.png|800px]] | [[file:US_Energy_Flow_2016.png|800px]] | ||
The total estimated [[energy]] consumption in the USA in 2016 was 97.3 quadrillion BTU (quads).<ref>https://flowcharts.llnl.gov/</ref> | The total estimated [[energy]] (not just electricity) consumption in the USA in 2016 was 97.3 quadrillion BTU (quads).<ref>https://flowcharts.llnl.gov/</ref> | ||
Note that 68.2% of the energy generated is lost as heat or in transmission. A similar figure (66.4%) applies to [[Energy|electricity]] generation alone, which remains dominated by thermal production (natural gas, coal, and nuclear), in which only around one-third of the energy contained in the source is converted to [[Energy|electrical energy]]. | Note that 68.2% of the energy generated is lost as heat or in transmission. A similar figure (66.4%) applies to [[Energy|electricity]] generation alone, which remains dominated by thermal production (natural gas, coal, and nuclear), in which only around one-third of the energy contained in the source is converted to [[Energy|electrical energy]]. | ||
Revision as of 20:50, 19 August 2017
The total estimated energy (not just electricity) consumption in the USA in 2016 was 97.3 quadrillion BTU (quads).[1]
Note that 68.2% of the energy generated is lost as heat or in transmission. A similar figure (66.4%) applies to electricity generation alone, which remains dominated by thermal production (natural gas, coal, and nuclear), in which only around one-third of the energy contained in the source is converted to electrical energy.
It should be noted that production from intermittent sources, i.e., wind and solar, represents only a fraction of the turbine or panel’s capacity. A wind turbine, for example, generates electricity at an annual average rate of 25%–35% of its capacity.[2] And it generates at or above its average rate only 40% of the time.[3][4]