Which US States are Still Dependent on Coal for Electricity?

On the current UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, world leaders convened to barter new objectives for lowering carbon emissions within the effort to gradual the tempo of world warming.

Throughout two weeks of negotiations, one of many main points underneath dialogue was using coal as an vitality supply.

Some coal-dependent nations together with India and China argued for a “part down” reasonably than a complete “part out” of coal energy within the closing settlement. In the meantime, U.S. envoy John Kerry predicted in an interview that the U.S. would get rid of coal by 2030.

Coal is likely one of the most cost-effective vitality sources out there within the U.S., partly as a result of the U.S. homes a large portion of the world’s coal reserves. However coal additionally has different environmental and social downsides which have made it a much less fascinating gasoline supply.

Mining and burning coal closely emit greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane and in addition poses dangers of air and water air pollution. Many policymakers and environmental advocates are actually pushing for a transition away from coal for that purpose.

Till just lately, nevertheless, price gained out, and cheap coal was the predominant gasoline supply within the U.S. Coal accounted for greater than half of electrical energy technology within the U.S. till 2003.

Since then, dependence on coal has plummeted and presently accounts for less than 19.3% of the whole electrical energy generated within the U.S. The swift decline in coal is partly as a result of different, cleaner vitality sources have turn out to be inexpensive.

Pure gasoline has seen a significant growth during the last 20 years as strategies like hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling made it simpler to extract. Renewable sources like wind and photo voltaic have additionally turn out to be inexpensive and extra broadly adopted lately because of authorities funding and technological advances.

In consequence, the share of electrical energy generated from renewables has risen by two-thirds since 1990.

Some states which have historically relied on coal each as an financial driver and as an vitality supply have been slower to make the transition.

The vast majority of coal production within the U.S. is contained in a handful of states, together with Wyoming and West Virginia, and since coal is affordable and plentiful, these heavy coal producers are additionally among the many states that generate the best share of electrical energy from coal and a decrease share from renewables.

In distinction, the states that rely extra closely on renewables both have governments which have prioritized clear vitality and emissions reductions or geographic options that make them well-suited to wind, photo voltaic, or hydropower installations.

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The information used on this evaluation is from the U.S. Vitality Data Administration.

To find out the states most depending on coal for electrical energy, researchers at Commodity.com calculated the share of complete electrical energy generated from coal. Within the occasion of a tie, the state with the larger complete electrical energy generated from coal was ranked larger.

Researchers additionally calculated the whole and proportion of electrical energy generated from renewable sources. Renewable sources embody photo voltaic, wind, geothermal, biomass, and hydroelectric.

Listed here are the states most depending on coal for electrical energy.

The Most Coal-Dependent States within the U.S.

15. Arkansas

• Share of electrical energy generated from coal: 28.2%
• 5-year change in electrical energy generated from coal: -29.1%
• Complete electrical energy generated from coal (MWh): 15,420,998
• Share of electrical energy generated from renewables: 10.5%
• Complete electrical energy generated from renewables (MWh): 5,735,702

14. Kansas

• Share of electrical energy generated from coal: 31.1%
• 5-year change in electrical energy generated from coal: -31.0%
• Complete electrical energy generated from coal (MWh): 16,959,839
• Share of electrical energy generated from renewables: 44.2%
• Complete electrical energy generated from renewables (MWh): 24,117,519

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13. Colorado

• Share of electrical energy generated from coal: 36.0%
• 5-year change in electrical energy generated from coal: -38.2%
• Complete electrical energy generated from coal (MWh): 19,478,405
• Share of electrical energy generated from renewables: 30.9%
• Complete electrical energy generated from renewables (MWh): 16,724,964

12. Montana

• Share of electrical energy generated from coal: 36.4%
• 5-year change in electrical energy generated from coal: -47.0%
• Complete electrical energy generated from coal (MWh): 8,490,284
• Share of electrical energy generated from renewables: 59.4%
• Complete electrical energy generated from renewables (MWh): 13,872,119

11. Ohio

• Share of electrical energy generated from coal: 37.2%
• 5-year change in electrical energy generated from coal: -37.2%
• Complete electrical energy generated from coal (MWh): 45,008,596
• Share of electrical energy generated from renewables: 2.9%
• Complete electrical energy generated from renewables (MWh): 3,500,737

10. New Mexico

• Share of electrical energy generated from coal: 37.5%
• 5-year change in electrical energy generated from coal: -37.4%
• Complete electrical energy generated from coal (MWh): 12,788,184
• Share of electrical energy generated from renewables: 27.2%
• Complete electrical energy generated from renewables (MWh): 9,253,738

9. Wisconsin

• Share of electrical energy generated from coal: 38.7%
• 5-year change in electrical energy generated from coal: -36.1%
• Complete electrical energy generated from coal (MWh): 23,761,097
• Share of electrical energy generated from renewables: 9.4%
• Complete electrical energy generated from renewables (MWh): 5,779,793

8. Nebraska

• Share of electrical energy generated from coal: 51.0%
• 5-year change in electrical energy generated from coal: -22.3%
• Complete electrical energy generated from coal (MWh): 18,788,647
• Share of electrical energy generated from renewables: 28.9%
• Complete electrical energy generated from renewables (MWh): 10,648,740

7. Indiana

• Share of electrical energy generated from coal: 53.1%
• 5-year change in electrical energy generated from coal: -38.9%
• Complete electrical energy generated from coal (MWh): 47,772,885
• Share of electrical energy generated from renewables: 8.2%
• Complete electrical energy generated from renewables (MWh): 7,364,544

6. North Dakota

• Share of electrical energy generated from coal: 58.1%
• 5-year change in electrical energy generated from coal: -11.7%
• Complete electrical energy generated from coal (MWh): 24,496,807
• Share of electrical energy generated from renewables: 38.1%
• Complete electrical energy generated from renewables (MWh): 16,084,768

5. Utah

• Share of electrical energy generated from coal: 61.5%
• 5-year change in electrical energy generated from coal: -28.0%
• Complete electrical energy generated from coal (MWh): 22,806,021
• Share of electrical energy generated from renewables: 12.5%
• Complete electrical energy generated from renewables (MWh): 4,644,687

4. Kentucky

• Share of electrical energy generated from coal: 68.7%
• 5-year change in electrical energy generated from coal: -39.9%
• Complete electrical energy generated from coal (MWh): 43,638,313
• Share of electrical energy generated from renewables: 8.5%
• Complete electrical energy generated from renewables (MWh): 5,395,636

3. Missouri

• Share of electrical energy generated from coal: 71.3%
• 5-year change in electrical energy generated from coal: -20.8%
• Complete electrical energy generated from coal (MWh): 51,755,690
• Share of electrical energy generated from renewables: 7.5%
• Complete electrical energy generated from renewables (MWh): 5,450,572

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2. Wyoming

• Share of electrical energy generated from coal: 79.4%
• 5-year change in electrical energy generated from coal: -22.6%
• Complete electrical energy generated from coal (MWh): 33,359,104
• Share of electrical energy generated from renewables: 16.1%
• Complete electrical energy generated from renewables (MWh): 6,763,997

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1. West Virginia

• Share of electrical energy generated from coal: 88.6%
• 5-year change in electrical energy generated from coal: -26.2%
• Complete electrical energy generated from coal (MWh): 50,216,398
• Share of electrical energy generated from renewables: 6.2%
• Complete electrical energy generated from renewables (MWh): 3,496,285

Detailed Findings & Methodology

The information used on this evaluation is from the U.S. Vitality Data Administration’s Electricity Power Data.

To find out the states most depending on coal for electrical energy, researchers calculated the share of complete electrical energy generated from coal. Solely states with full information out there are included within the evaluation.

Within the occasion of a tie, the state with the larger complete electrical energy generated from coal was ranked larger.

Researchers additionally calculated the whole and proportion of electrical energy generated from renewable sources. Renewable sources embody photo voltaic, wind, geothermal, biomass, and hydroelectric.