Power Consumption in the USA
I just helped build an infographic about power consumption and how we consume electricity around the house. Moreover, how we can reduce the amount we use. So tell me what you think about this chart that was provided to me by a reader. Let’s talk this story out for a change!
Major uses of power consumption
In 1999, a study by Mark. P. Mills [33] of the Green Earth Society reported that computers power consumption is 13% of the entire US supply. Numerous researchers questioned Mills’ methodology. However, it was later demonstrated that he was off by an order of magnitude. For example, Lawrence Berkeley Labs concluded that the figure was nearer three percent of US electricity use.
Although the Mills study was inaccurate,[34][35][36] it helped drive the debate to the national level. Therefore, in 2006 the US Senate started a study of the energy consumption of Server farms. (Source: Wikipedia)
Power Consumption Recorded
Those servers of the United States have and continue to get most of its electrical production from conventional thermal power plants. Most of these are coal. However, the 1990s and 2000s have seen a disproportionate increase in natural gas; as well as other kinds of gas powered plants.
From 1992 to 2005 some 270,000 MWe (Megawatt electric) of new gas-fired plant were built. However, only 14,000 MWe of new nuclear and coal-fired capacity came on line. It was mostly coal that with 2,315 MWe of it also being nuclear.[26] Nuclear and coal are considerably more capital intensive when compared to gas. Therefore, the great shift to gas plant construction is often attributed to deregulation. As well as other political and economic factors.
Wind
As of January 2008 the American Wind Energy Association estimated that U.S. wind power consumption and capacity as 16,818 MW, sufficient to power 4.5 million homes.
Largest Wind Facility
The largest wind facility in the U.S. and the world is in Roscoe Texas, costing more than \\$1 billion and providing 781.5 MW of power (enough for 230,000 homes throughout Texas, which has more wind power generation capacity than any other state and all but four countries.).
Several solar thermal power generating facilities like the new 64 MW Nevada Solar One and the SEGS group of plants in the Mojave Desert with a total generating capacity of 354 MW, making the system the largest solar plant of any kind in the world.
In 2007, summer demand for electricity was 783 GW and 640 GW for winter. By 2017, North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) projects summer consumption to be 925GW for summer and 756 GW for winter.
Sources
U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) — Electricity Data
Current U.S. electricity statistics covering generation, consumption, power plants, prices, fuels and customers.
https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data.php
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) — Electric Power Sector Emissions
Information on greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. electricity generation, including coal, natural gas and renewable energy. The EPA reports that the electric power sector accounted for about one-quarter of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2022.
https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/electric-power-sector-emissions
U.S. Department of Energy — Energy Efficiency
Resources on reducing energy consumption in homes and businesses through efficiency, better equipment and cleaner energy technologies.
https://www.energy.gov/eere/energy-efficiency
