In the United States, electricity derived from coal has decreased over the past two decades, with the annual output declining by almost 63 percent between 2010 and 2023. In contrast, there has been a rise in natural gas and renewable sources within the energy mix. How is electricity generated in the U.S.? Most electricity in the U.S. is generated from steam turbines, which can be powered by fossil and nuclear fuels, biomass, geothermal, and solar thermal energy. Other systems such as gas turbines, hydro turbines, wind turbines, and solar photovoltaics are also major generation technologies. Electric utilities in the U.S. generated more than 2,176 terawatt hours in 2023, accounting for just over half of the power output in the country that year. Growing renewable capacity Renewable sources have become more prominent in the U.S. in recent years, particularly wind, hydro, and solar energy. The former has overtaken conventional hydropower, becoming the leading renewable energy source in the U.S. since 2019. Wind and solar power have also accounted for the largest share of electricity capacity additions in the country.

Throughout the past decade, the United States has been notably decreasing its use of coal, and increasing the use of natural gas and renewable energy sources for electricity generation. In 2023, natural gas was by far the largest source of electricity in the North American country, with a generation share of 43 percent. Renewable energy's share amounted to 23 percent that year.

The United States generated 4,178 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2023, one of the largest figures recorded in the indicated period. In comparison to the previous year, power generation decreased by 50 terawatt-hours. U.S. electricity market and the role of renewables Unlike the use of fossil fuels, U.S. renewable electricity generation has increased in recent years, amounting to more than 890 terawatt-hours in 2023. Wind power has become the main renewable source of electricity generation in the North American country, having surpassed conventional hydroelectric power in 2019. Who are the main consumers of electricity? The residential sector was ranked as the largest consumer of electricity in the United States in 2022. Electricity retail sales to residential users have grown by approximately 300 terawatt-hours since the beginning of the century.

United States Electricity Generation data was reported at 12.243 kWh/Day bn in Feb 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 12.935 kWh/Day bn for Jan 2025. United States Electricity Generation data is updated monthly, averaging 10.485 kWh/Day bn from Jan 1991 (Median) to Feb 2025, with 410 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 13.886 kWh/Day bn in Jul 2024 and a record low of 7.593 kWh/Day bn in Apr 1991. United States Electricity Generation data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by U.S. Energy Information Administration. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.RB004: Electricity Supply and Consumption.

This deposit combines data from https://doi.org/10.3886/E146782V1 and https://doi.org/10.3886/E146801V1 to produce files containing the hourly generation, costs, and capacities of virtually all power plants in the lower 48 United States between 1999-2012 for their use in "Data and Code for: Imperfect Markets versus Imperfect Regulation in U.S. Electricity Generation" (https://doi.org/10.3886/E115467V1).

The electricity generation capacity in the United States reached 1.2 terawatts in 2022, a rise of 60 percent compared to the value recorded in 2000. Power capacity in the U.S. is forecast to continue growing in the next decades, doubling between 2022 and 2050. Electricity sources in the U.S. In 2023, fossil fuels were still the main source of electricity generation in the country. Natural gas surpassed coal as the single leading power source in 2016 and accounted for over 40 percent of the electricity produced in the U.S. in 2023. However, renewable electricity generation has been growing, primarily driven by wind energy and hydropower. Capacity additions and retirements in the U.S. As of 2024, solar and wind power accounted for about 70 percent of planned capacity additions in the North American country. By comparison, fossil fuels had the most planned capacity retirements in the U.S.. Natural gas was the only fossil fuel with planned capacity additions that year, amounting to 2.5 gigawatts.

Graph and download economic data for Industrial Production: Utilities: Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution (NAICS = 2211) (IPG2211S) from Jan 1972 to Feb 2025 about power transmission, distributive, electricity, IP, production, industry, indexes, and USA.

New York Electric Generation By Fuel Type, GWh dataset provides data on total electricity requirements and in-state generation for New York State in giga-watt hours. Sources of electricity include coal, natural gas, petroleum products, hydro, nuclear, waste, landfill gas, wood, wind, solar, and net imports of electricity.

How does your organization use this dataset? What other NYSERDA or energy-related datasets would you like to see on Open NY? Let us know by emailing OpenNY@nyserda.ny.gov.

Monthly average hourly CO2, NOx, and SO2 emission factors for each U.S. eGRID subregion. This project utilized GridViewTM, an electric grid dispatch software package, to estimate hourly emission factors for all of the eGRID subregions in the continental United States. These factors took into account electricity imports and exports across the eGRID subregion boundary, and included estimated transmission and distribution (T) losses. Emission types accounted for included carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and sulfur dioxide (SO2).Data reported as part of this project include hourly average, minimum, and maximum emission factors by month; that is, the average, minimum, and maximum emission factor for the same hour of each day in a month. Please note that the data are reported in lbs/MWh, where the MWh value reported is site electricity use (the actual electricity used at the building) and the pounds of emissions reported are the emissions created at the generator to meet the building load, including transmission and distribution losses. The demand profiles used to generate the data pertain to the following years: eastern interconnect - 2005; Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) - 2008; Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) - 2008.

This data deposit constructs data on monthly generation costs and capacities in the United States from 1999-2012 in preparation for their use in "Imperfect Markets versus Imperfect Regulation in U.S. Electricity Generation" (openicpsr-115467).It builds panel data files from the following EIA forms:"Form EIA-860: Annual Electric Generator Report""Form EIA-861: Annual Electric Power Industry Report""Form EIA-767: Annual Steam-Electric Plant Operation and Design Report""Form EIA-923: Power Plant Operations Report""Form EIA-759/906/920/923: Power Plant Report""Form EIA-423: Monthly Cost and Quality of Fuels for Electric Plants Report"and the EPA's Continuous Emissions Monitor System.It constructs a crosswalk that connects the EPA's boilers to the EIA's generator identifiers.

Power Plants in the U.S.This feature layer, utilizing data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), depicts all operable electric generating plants by energy source in the U.S. This includes plants that are operating, on standby, or short- or long-term out of service. The data covers all plants with a combined nameplate capacity of 1 MW (Megawatt) or more.Per EIA, "The United States uses many different energy sources and technologies to generate electricity. The sources and technologies have changed over time, and some are used more than others. The three major categories of energy for electricity generation are fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and petroleum), nuclear energy, and renewable energy sources. Most electricity is generated with steam turbines using fossil fuels, nuclear, biomass, geothermal, and solar thermal energy. Other major electricity generation technologies include gas turbines, hydro turbines, wind turbines, and solar photovoltaics."Madison Gas & Electric Company, Sycamore Power PlantData currency: This cached Esri service is checked monthly for updates from its federal source (Power Plants)Data modification: NoneFor more information, please visit:Electricity ExplainedEIA-860, Annual Electric Generator ReportEIA-860M, Monthly Update to the Annual Electric Generator ReportEIA-923, Power Plant Operations ReportSupport documentation: MetadataFor feedback: ArcGIScomNationalMaps@esri.comEnergy Information AdministrationPer EIA, "The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) collects, analyzes, and disseminates independent and impartial energy information to promote sound policymaking, efficient markets, and public understanding of energy and its interaction with the economy and the environment."

These datasets, namely .csv, are snapshots of the regional datasets published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) between July 1, 2018 and June 30, 2023. EIA publishes hourly operational data across the United States electricity grid, including demand, net generation of electricity from various sources (such as coal, natural gas, solar), CO2 emissions, import/export to other regions, and many more. The complete details of the EIA-930 data is available here: https://www.eia.gov/electricity/gridmonitor/about. Furthermore, we obtained the solar capacities of each year and each region from EIA (https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/state/) and had stored the information in the file solar_capacity_factor.csv.

State-level data on all energy sources. Data on production, consumption, reserves, stocks, prices, imports, and exports. Data are collated from state-specific data reported elsewhere on the EIA website and are the most recent values available. Data on U.S. territories also available.

United States US: Electricity Production From Oil Sources: % of Total data was reported at 0.904 % in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.923 % for 2014. United States US: Electricity Production From Oil Sources: % of Total data is updated yearly, averaging 4.834 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2015, with 56 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 17.167 % in 1977 and a record low of 0.774 % in 2012. United States US: Electricity Production From Oil Sources: % of Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Energy Production and Consumption. Sources of electricity refer to the inputs used to generate electricity. Oil refers to crude oil and petroleum products.; ; IEA Statistics © OECD/IEA 2014 (http://www.iea.org/stats/index.asp), subject to https://www.iea.org/t&c/termsandconditions/; Weighted average; Electricity production shares may not sum to 100 percent because other sources of generated electricity (such as geothermal, solar, and wind) are not shown. Restricted use: Please contact the International Energy Agency for third-party use of these data.

Provides annual renewable energy consumption (in quadrillion btu) for electricity generation in the United States by energy use sector (commercial, industrial and electric power) and by energy source (e.g. biomass, geothermal, etc.) This data was compiled and published by the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

According to Cognitive Market Research, the global Electricity Generation market size will be USD 2154.2 million in 2024. It will expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.80% from 2024 to 2031.

North America held the major market share for more than 40% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 861.68 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.0% from 2024 to 2031.
Europe accounted for a market share of over 30% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 646.26 million.
Asia Pacific held a market share of around 23% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 495.47 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.8% from 2024 to 2031.
Latin America had a market share of more than 5% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 107.71 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.2% from 2024 to 2031.
Middle East and Africa had a market share of around 2% of the global revenue and was estimated at a market size of USD 43.08 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.5% from 2024 to 2031.
Thermal Generation is the market leader in the Electricity Generation industry

Market Dynamics of Electricity Generation Market

Key Drivers for Electricity Generation Market

Rising need for cooling boosts the electricity generation market

The increased demand for cooling is projected to drive the electricity generating market in the future years. Cooling is the process of lowering the temperature of an object or environment, which is usually accomplished by transporting heat away from the intended location, typically utilizing air or a cooling medium. Power generation can be utilized to cool by running air conditioning (AC) and fans to keep indoor temperatures comfortable. For instance, According to the International Energy Agency, an autonomous intergovernmental body located in France, in July 2023, more than 90% of households in the United States and Japan had an air conditioner. Cooling accounts for around 10% of global electricity use. In warmer countries, this might result in a more than 50% increase in power demand during the summer months. As a result, increased demand for cooling is likely to drive expansion in the power generating industry.

Increasing applications of electricity in the transportation industry

The growing use of energy in the transportation industry is predicted to increase demand for electricity, hence pushing the power generation market. The electrification of railways in underdeveloped and developing countries, the establishment of public transportation networks such as rapid metro transit systems, and the growing use of electric vehicles in developed countries will all create significant market opportunities for power generation companies. For instance, in order to achieve net-zero carbon emissions, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) predicts that 13,000 track kilometers - or roughly 450 km per year - of track in the UK will need to be electrified by 2050, with 179 km electrified between 2020 and 2021. According to the Edison Electric Institute (EEl), yearly electric car sales in the United States are estimated to exceed 1.2 million by 2025. Electric vehicles are projected to account for 9% of worldwide electricity demand by 2050.

Restraint Factor for the Electricity Generation Market

High initial capital investment for renewable projects

The high initial capital for renewable projects is indeed a limiting factor for the market growth of the electricity generation sector, as most such technologies, infrastructure, and installation depend on significant up-front funding. For instance, most renewable energy technologies are highly capital intensive-solar, and wind, in particular, scares investors away from taking action, especially if they are small or developing firms. There is thus an economic limitation that restricts competition and contributes toward slower development of cleaner energy solutions. Moreover, funding can be quite tricky and challenging-especially for a poor economic climate. The payback times attached to these investment options are long, leading to uncertainty and making stakeholders reluctant to commit. These financial constraints are, therefore, blighting the transition to renewable energy as well as, more broadly, the overall electricity generation market

Impact of Covid-19 on the E...

Coal power plants generated 2,013 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity in the United States in 2005. In that year, it was projected by the EIA (Energy Information Administration) that coal power generation would increase to 2,494 TWh by 2020. Due to environmental policies, the natural gas boom, and the rapid growth of renewable energy sources, coal power generation in the U.S. actually dropped to 774 TWh in 2020. The projected growth in coal electric power meant that U.S. power sector emissions were expected to rise to three billion metric tons of CO2 by 2020. However, electricity-related emissions that year fell 40 percent from 2005 levels to 1.4 billion metric tons. This was 52 percent lower than the assumed emissions.

Graph and download economic data for Sources of Revenue: Sales of Energy and Resources - Electricity Generation and Distribution for Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution, All Establishments, Employer Firms (REVSEGEF2211ALLEST) from 2013 to 2022 about power transmission, distributive, employer firms, accounting, revenue, electricity, energy, establishments, sales, services, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Employment for Utilities: Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (NAICS 2211) in the United States (IPUCN2211W200000000) from 1987 to 2023 about power transmission, distributive, utilities, electricity, NAICS, employment, and USA.

Provides total annual electricity consumption by sector (residential, commercial and industrial) for all states in 2008, reported in GWh, and total electricity generation by sector (e.g. wind, solar, nuclear, coal) for all states in 2008, reported in GWh.