Electricity generation - Wikipedia

Have you ever given thought to how you get your electricity in your home? Well, not in the science that is electricity, but in the way in which electricity is generated and then supplied to your home? What are the different ways of energy generation in the United States?

By reading reviews of solar energy shared by actual customers, you will be able to pick the right type of electricity supply and power utilities company to suit your needs and values. The US energy market is diverse and vast; it encompasses all forms of renewable and non-renewable energy generation.

The United States has three major types of electricity generation: fossil fuels (and nuclear power), and renewable energy. The non-renewable energy companies are those companies focused on fossil fuels to generate energy from petroleum and oil products, coal deposits, natural gas reserves, and nuclear power. The renewable energy companies consist of companies that generate energy from alternative sources: solar power, wind power, geothermal power, hydroelectric power, and biofuels and ethanols.

It should go without adding that each category of energy generation in the United States has specialist companies and each category of energy generation is heavily regulated and monitored. Fossil fuels require oil and gas exploration, mining, pipelines, and refining. Renewable energy companies generate electricity and energy from renewable materials: sun, wind, ocean and sea tides and waves, as well as rivers, dams, and lakes, while springs, geysers and other seismic activities can create geothermal energy sources.

The energy most generated in the United States is that of fossil fuels. These use steam turbines to convert those materials into energy and electricity. Nuclear power is the second most used form of energy generation in the United States, followed by the other forms of energy generation from nuclear power, geothermal, solar energy, and wind power. These energies are converted into electricity by gas turbines, hydro plants using hydro turbines, wind turbines, and solar panels and batteries.

Natural gas accounts for around 40 percent of the United States’ electricity generation operations. Coal is the second most popular form of fossil fuels used. Nuclear power provides the third most electricity in the United States.

Renewable energy accounts for the remaining 20 percent of electricity generation and supplies in the United States. The largest form of renewable energy is generated from hydroelectric plants. Wind energy actually accounts for the second highest supply of electricity, while you might have guessed that it would have been solar power. In fact, solar power is third. Geothermal power plants conclude the United States’ electricity generation aspects.

There is without a doubt an increase in the demand for electricity generation in the United States. The country is moving away from fossil fuels such as coal power plants and is instead focusing its resources on renewable energy sources such as hydroelectric, wind power and solar power. As cities grow, policies for electricity generation change, the demand for electricity increases. The push for EVs (electric vehicles), for instance, has placed a greater demand on electricity generation. This will only increase as EVs are adopted for use by ever-larger numbers of citizens.

By Ruby