America isn’t making electrical energy the best way it did 20 years in the past.
How the United States made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Natural gasoline surpassed coal because the nation’s prime supply of energy in 2016, and renewables like wind and photo voltaic have grown rapidly to turn out to be main gamers within the U.S. energy system.
But each state has its personal story.
In Nevada, pure gasoline turned the highest supply of electrical energy era in 2005, sooner than in lots of different locations. More just lately, solar energy has surged there.
Wind energy has taken off in Iowa over the previous 20 years, beating out coal in 2019 to turn out to be the state’s largest supply of energy era.
Even in Wyoming, the place coal nonetheless dominates electrical energy era, various sources of energy have made regular positive factors.
Fossil fuels nonetheless generate the vast majority of America’s electrical energy, however the shift from coal to pure gasoline and renewable energy has helped reduce planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions and different dangerous air pollution.
Last yr, coal was the highest electrical energy gasoline in 10 states, down from almost two-thirds of states in 2001. Natural gasoline largely took over throughout that point, however wind additionally emerged as a number one energy supply throughout the Midwest.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration
Still, specialists say there’s a lengthy solution to go if the nation needs to zero out emissions from the facility sector to combat local weather change, a purpose set by President Biden.
Switching from coal to gasoline “gets you part of the way there,” mentioned Melissa Lott, a researcher on the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, as a result of burning pure gasoline for energy produces fewer carbon dioxide emissions than burning coal. But fewer emissions just isn’t the identical as zero emissions, she added. “Many more technologies, including renewables, need to be built quickly to get us all the way to our climate goals,” Dr. Lott mentioned.
Mr. Biden’s signature local weather and power regulation, the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, aimed to turbocharge the expansion of renewable wind and photo voltaic power nationwide and to assist different clear energy applied sciences like nuclear power, superior batteries and carbon seize and storage for gasoline vegetation. But the way forward for that regulation stays unsure in an election yr, with Republicans promising to repeal lots of its clean-energy provisions.
What occurs on the federal stage is simply a part of the equation. States have the facility to speed up, decelerate or block clear power, too.
We charted how electrical energy era has modified in each state to this point, from 2001 to 2023, utilizing information from the United States Energy Information Administration. Find your state under:
How Alabama made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
In 2001, coal fueled greater than half of the electrical energy produced in Alabama, however lots of the state’s getting older coal energy vegetation have closed since then or shifted to burning cheaper pure gasoline. By 2014, gasoline had turn out to be the highest electrical energy supply within the state, adopted by nuclear. And, final yr, coal fueled simply 14 p.c of the state’s electrical energy era.
Hydro has lengthy been Alabama’s largest supply of renewable energy. The state produced lower than 1 p.c of its energy from photo voltaic power final yr.
Alabama generates extra electrical energy than it consumes and sometimes sends about one-third of its output to close by states. (Exports should not proven on the chart above.)
How Alaska made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Natural gasoline has been Alaska’s prime supply of energy for 20 years, offering greater than half of the state’s electrical energy in most years. Hydro, petroleum and coal provide a lot of the relaxation. In 2010, Alaska set a nonbinding goal to provide 50 p.c of its electrical energy from renewable and various power sources by 2025, however the state has solely seen a small uptick in wind energy era since then.
Alaska has its personal electrical grid, which suggests “whatever electricity is created there is what they’re consuming,” mentioned Glenn McGrath, an influence techniques analyst on the U.S. Energy Information Administration. “It’s about as isolated as you can get.”
Many rural communities in Alaska should not related to the principle grid and use diesel turbines for energy, though smaller, community-based wind turbines have gotten extra widespread.
How Arizona made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Coal was Arizona’s prime supply of electrical energy era till 2016, when pure gasoline surpassed it. Coal-fired era has declined quickly over the previous decade as a few of the state’s coal energy vegetation shut down and others switched to cheaper pure gasoline.
In latest years, pure gasoline has taken over because the state’s prime supply of energy, with gasoline fueling 46 p.c of Arizona’s electrical energy era final yr. The state can be dwelling to the second-largest nuclear energy plant within the nation.
Arizona makes extra electrical energy than it makes use of and exports energy to close by states. (Exports should not proven on the chart above.)
The state has plentiful photo voltaic assets. Its largest utility, Arizona Public Service, set a voluntary goal of getting 65 p.c of its electrical energy from carbon-free sources by 2030 and 100 p.c by 2050. However, the utility lobbied against proposals to codify these renewable objectives into regulation.
How Arkansas made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Coal was the biggest supply of electrical energy era in Arkansas for a lot of the previous 20 years. But its function within the state’s electrical combine diminished over time as pure gasoline energy expanded. After vying with coal for the highest slot, gasoline has been the state’s largest supply of energy era since 2022.
Arkansas generates extra electrical energy than it consumes and sends energy to close by states. (Exports should not proven on the chart above.)
How California made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Natural gasoline has been California’s prime electrical energy gasoline since 2001, however greater than half of the facility produced within the state final yr got here from renewable power and different carbon-free sources, together with photo voltaic, wind, geothermal, hydro and nuclear.
Solar energy, particularly, has grown quickly over the previous decade, largely due to supportive state insurance policies. At the identical time, nuclear energy has declined. (One of the state’s two nuclear vegetation closed in 2012. The different is now slated to retire in 2030.)
California has usually led the best way on clear energy, utilizing state coverage to encourage the adoption of fresh energy applied sciences like photo voltaic panels and large grid batteries. In 2018, the state set a purpose for utilities to get all of their electrical energy from zero-carbon sources by 2045. State utilities and regulators are actually wrestling with how rapidly they will cut back dependence on pure gasoline whereas nonetheless sustaining a dependable energy provide.
California consumes extra electrical energy than it generates inside its borders and sometimes imports about one-third to one-fifth of the facility it makes use of. (Imports should not mirrored within the chart above.)
How Colorado made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Coal has been Colorado’s prime supply of electrical energy for greater than 20 years. But coal-fired era shrank to 32 p.c of the state’s energy combine final yr from 76 p.c in 2001. At the identical time, pure gasoline and wind energy elevated their function within the state’s electrical combine. In latest years, wind generators have provided greater than 1 / 4 of the electrical energy produced in Colorado, sufficient to turn out to be the state’s second-largest supply of electrical energy in 2021 and 2022. But gasoline energy topped wind once more final yr.
Colorado goals to get 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2040. The state’s largest utility, Xcel Energy, plans to phase out its remaining coal-burning power plants by 2030 in favor of cleaner alternate options.
Colorado normally consumes extra electrical energy than it generates and imports energy from close by states. (Imports should not proven within the chart above.)
How Connecticut made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Natural gasoline and nuclear power have fueled the overwhelming majority of Connecticut’s electrical energy era during the last 20 years. But gasoline era has elevated considerably since 2010 and gasoline now provides almost 60 p.c of the facility produced within the state.
At the identical time, the quantity of electrical energy that comes from different fossil fuels, together with coal and petroleum, has declined. Connecticut’s final remaining coal plant, Bridgeport Harbor, retired in 2021.
Connecticut goals to get 100 percent of its electricity from zero-emissions sources by 2040. Last yr, nuclear energy offered 33 p.c of the state’s electrical energy era and one other 5 p.c got here from renewable sources, largely photo voltaic.
How Delaware made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Natural gasoline displaced coal as the first supply of electrical energy produced in Delaware in 2010 and has dominated the state’s energy combine since then. Coal era, in the meantime, has dwindled. Coal fueled 70 p.c of the state’s energy era in 2008, its peak yr, however solely offered backup energy throughout some months final yr.
In half due to this shift, carbon dioxide emissions from the state’s electrical energy sector have fallen over the previous decade. Delaware requires that state utilities generate or procure 40 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2035, together with 10 p.c from photo voltaic.
Power produced in-state sometimes provides “much less than the state needs,” in accordance with the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Delaware will get the vast majority of its electrical energy from neighboring states via the regional grid. (Imports should not proven on the chart above.)
How Florida made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
In 2001, greater than one-third of the electrical energy produced in Florida got here from burning coal. Two years later, pure gasoline surpassed coal because the state’s prime supply of energy era and has continued to increase its share within the state’s electrical combine ever since. By final yr, pure gasoline fueled three-fourths of Florida’s electrical energy era, considerably greater than the nationwide common.
Despite its nickname, the Sunshine State has been gradual to undertake solar energy. But utility-scale photo voltaic installations have picked up in the last few years. Florida is the second-largest producer of electrical energy nationwide, after Texas, however nonetheless imports a small quantity of energy from neighboring states to fulfill shopper demand. (Imports should not mirrored within the chart above.)
In 2024, Florida lawmakers handed a invoice that cuts assist for renewable power tasks and makes it simpler to construct pure gasoline infrastructure. The new regulation prohibits building of offshore wind generators in state waters, repeals state grant applications that encourage power conservation and renewable power and cancels the state’s voluntary renewable power objectives.
How Georgia made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Coal offered the vast majority of Georgia’s electrical energy era via the 2000s however declined sharply through the 2010s as pure gasoline energy elevated. Gas has been the state’s prime supply of energy for a lot of the final decade, with nuclear energy usually in second place.
Georgia is the one state to convey new nuclear capability on-line lately: Two new reactors that opened in 2023 and 2024. They had been the primary new nuclear reactors within the nation to be constructed from scratch in a long time, however the tasks had been suffering from delays and significant cost overruns.
Solar energy has additionally grown rapidly within the state lately, offering about 6 p.c of Georgia’s energy in 2023. The state can be nonetheless increasing fossil gasoline energy. Georgia Power, the state’s principal utility, plans to build a number of new producing stations fueled by oil and gasoline within the coming years to serve rising energy demand from information facilities and new clean-energy manufacturing hubs.
How Hawaii made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Hawaii has relied closely on imported oil to make electrical energy for the previous 20 years. But the state has an ambitious plan to generate all of its energy from clear power sources by 2045. In September 2022, Hawaii shut down its final coal-burning energy plant, a serious milestone in direction of that purpose. Last yr, there was no utility-scale coal era in Hawaii for the primary time for the reason that early 1970s, however delays within the deployment of recent photo voltaic and battery tasks meant oil-fired era ticked up.
The state just lately opened a new, large-scale battery storage facility as a part of its technique to interchange the coal energy that was retired. (Battery charging and discharging just isn’t proven within the charts above, which replicate internet era.)
Solar era, largely from small-scale rooftop panels, has grown quickly within the state over the previous decade and offered almost 20 p.c of Hawaii’s energy final yr. In whole, about 31 p.c of the state’s electrical energy was made by renewable sources in 2023.
How Idaho made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Hydro generated the overwhelming majority of Idaho’s electrical energy through the 2000s and early 2010s. But lately, drought situations have pushed down the quantity of hydroelectric energy produced within the state. Idaho nonetheless makes the vast majority of its electrical energy from renewable sources, with hydro offering 43 p.c of in-state energy era final yr and wind and photo voltaic collectively offering one other 22 p.c. But pure gasoline energy has expanded considerably on the identical time.
Idaho additionally imports a large quantity of energy from out of state to fulfill its electrical energy wants. In the previous, a lot of this energy has come from coal-fired turbines in neighboring states, however Oregon closed its last coal plant in 2020 and different close by coal vegetation are scheduled to close down over the following a number of years. (Imports should not proven on the chart.)
How Illinois made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Nuclear power has been Illinois’s prime supply of energy era for a lot of the final 20 years, accounting for about half of the electrical energy produced within the state throughout most years. Coal was lengthy the second-largest energy supply, briefly surpassing nuclear as the highest era gasoline in 2004 and once more in 2008. But coal’s function within the state energy combine has declined considerably lately as older coal-fired energy vegetation have retired or been transformed to burn pure gasoline. Both pure gasoline and wind era have grown over the previous decade, and final yr gasoline surpassed coal because the second-largest supply of energy within the state.
In 2021, Illinois set a purpose of getting 100 of its energy from carbon-free power sources by 2050, however the state has struggled to meet shorter-term targets. Illinois produces significantly extra electrical energy than it makes use of and sends about one-fifth to Mid-Atlantic and Midwestern states via long-distance transmission traces. (Exports should not proven on the chart.)
How Indiana made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Coal fueled a lot of the electrical energy made in Indiana for greater than 20 years, however its share within the state’s energy combine has declined as pure gasoline era has taken off and older coal-fired energy vegetation have retired. Last yr, gasoline offered almost 40 p.c of the state’s electrical energy era, up from 2 p.c in 2001.
About 14 p.c of the state’s electrical energy got here from renewable sources final yr, largely wind. Over the previous decade, Indiana has used extra electrical energy every year than it produces inside its borders and imported the remainder from out of state. (Imports should not proven on the chart above.)
How Iowa made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Wind energy has taken off in Iowa over the previous decade, surpassing coal because the state’s prime supply of electrical energy in 2019. Wind generators offered simply 1 p.c of the electrical energy produced within the state in 2001 and almost 60 p.c final yr. Over the identical interval, coal-fired era considerably declined.
In absolute phrases, the state, one of many windiest in the country, was the second-largest producer of wind energy final yr, after Texas. But, as Iowa’s wind capability has grown, so has native opposition to new tasks. In latest years, various Iowa counties have paused the construction of new wind turbines and a few photo voltaic tasks, too.
In 1983, Iowa turned the primary state within the nation to move laws requiring utilities to get some quantity of electrical energy from renewable assets, however the state has not up to date these requirements since. Iowa exports a few of its energy to close by states over the regional electrical grid. (Exports should not proven on the chart above.)
How Kansas made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Kansas, like many states throughout the Great Plains, has seen vital development in wind energy over the previous decade as builders put up hundreds of generators to seize the robust winds blowing throughout the open prairie. In 2019, wind surpassed coal to turn out to be Kansas’s largest supply of electrical energy era and has remained the state’s prime energy producer since then.
Kansas produces extra energy than it consumes and sends a couple of quarter to different states via the regional grid. (Exports should not proven on the chart above.)
How Kentucky made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Coal nonetheless generates the vast majority of the electrical energy produced in Kentucky, a longtime coal mining state. But various the state’s older, coal-fired energy vegetation have shut down or been transformed to burn pure gasoline over the previous decade. Coal fueled 68 p.c of the facility produced within the state final yr, down from greater than 90 p.c throughout a lot of the 2000s and early 2010s.
How Louisiana made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Natural gasoline has lengthy offered the majority of electrical energy era in Louisiana, one of many prime gas-producing states within the nation. But as coal era declined lately, gasoline additional expanded its share of the state’s electrical combine. Last yr, gasoline accounted for 76 p.c of electrical energy made within the state, up from 46 p.c in 2001. During that point, coal-fired era declined, dropping from its place because the second-largest supply of energy within the state to a distant third place.
Louisiana additionally imports some electrical energy from neighboring states. (Imports should not proven within the chart above.)
How Maine made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Most of the electrical energy generated in Maine final yr got here from renewable sources. Together, hydroelectric dams, wind generators, photo voltaic arrays and biomass vegetation, which burn wooden and different natural supplies, produced about 69 p.c of the state’s energy.
However, the full quantity of energy generated in Maine, significantly from pure gasoline and petroleum, has declined considerably during the last 20 years. The state now imports between 10 and 30 p.c of its electrical energy every year from different close by states and Canada. (Imports should not proven on the chart above.)
Maine has a goal of getting 100 p.c of its electrical energy from renewable sources by 2050.
How Maryland made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Coal produced the majority of Maryland’s energy via the early 2010s, however its function within the state’s electrical energy combine has declined considerably during the last decade. Coal fueled simply 5 p.c of electrical energy made within the state final yr, down from greater than 40 p.c a decade earlier (and an excellent better share earlier than then). Nuclear energy turned the biggest supply of electrical energy era in 2015 and rapidly rising pure gasoline energy surpassed nuclear for the primary time final yr.
While solar energy remains to be a small a part of the state’s era combine, it has grown quickly over the previous a number of years, beating out hydro because the state’s largest supply of renewable electrical energy. Maryland requires that 50 p.c of the electrical energy bought by utilities within the state come from renewable sources by 2030.
Maryland consumes extra energy than it generates and imports a big quantity of electrical energy from different Mid-Atlantic States via the regional grid. (Imports should not proven on the chart above.)
How Massachusetts made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Natural gasoline has expanded its share of electrical energy era in Massachusetts over the previous 20 years as different sources of energy have declined. Coal-fired era petered out within the state by 2018. And petroleum, which is usually used to fulfill peak electrical energy demand through the winter, now offers solely a small fraction of the facility it did 20 years in the past. The state’s solely nuclear plant, which was liable for between 10 and 20 p.c of the state’s electrical energy era in earlier years, shut down permanently in 2019, partly due to competitors from cheaper pure gasoline.
Only solar energy has bucked the development: The quantity of electrical energy created from photo voltaic power, largely via small-scale rooftop panels, has grown considerably since 2013 and now offers almost 1 / 4 of the state’s energy. Still, Massachusetts makes much less energy right now in absolute phrases than it did 20 years in the past and now imports about half of its energy from different Northeastern states via the regional grid. (Imports should not proven within the chart above.)
Massachusetts lawmakers have sought to encourage the adoption of extra photo voltaic and wind energy. (The state’s first offshore wind undertaking began producing electrical energy this yr.) The state requires utilities to get 80 percent of the electricity they sell from renewable sources by 2050.
How Michigan made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Coal was the highest supply of electrical energy produced in Michigan for a lot of the final 20 years, however coal-fired era declined steadily through the 2010s and 2020s as pure gasoline energy expanded. After years of development, gasoline turned the state’s prime supply of electrical energy for the primary time in 2020 and retook that prime slot in 2022 and 2023. Nuclear was the second largest supply of energy produced within the state final yr, with coal falling to 3rd place.
Nuclear power is the state’s largest supply of emissions-free energy. It fueled 23 p.c of the electrical energy produced within the state final yr. Wind energy generated an extra 7 p.c, and photo voltaic delivered lower than 2 p.c. Michigan just lately set a goal to get 100 p.c of its electrical energy from zero-carbon power sources by 2040.
To shore up extra emissions-free energy, Michigan now needs to reopen a nuclear plant that shut down in 2022, with assist from a $1.5 billion mortgage from the Biden administration. If the plan goes via, it could be the primary shuttered nuclear plant to reopen within the United States.
How Minnesota made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Coal was the highest supply of electrical energy produced in Minnesota for years, however its era share has declined during the last 20 years and, in 2020, coal-fired energy era dropped under nuclear for the primary time. Wind energy, in the meantime, grew from 2 p.c of the state’s whole era in 2001 to 25 p.c in 2023. Wind turned the state’s prime energy producer final yr.
Emissions-free power sources, together with wind, photo voltaic and nuclear energy, now present greater than 50 p.c of the facility produced in Minnesota. State regulation requires electrical utilities to generate or procure 100 p.c of their electrical energy from carbon-free sources by 2040. Minnesota additionally imports some energy from different states via the shared regional grid. (Imports should not proven on the chart above.)
How Mississippi made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Natural gasoline powered greater than three-quarters of the electrical energy generated in Mississippi final yr. Coal, as soon as the state’s prime supply of electrical energy, has declined considerably over the previous decade as pure gasoline costs have fallen. Coal offered 36 p.c of the electrical energy produced within the state in 2001, however simply 5 p.c in 2023.
Mississippi produces extra energy than it makes use of and exports the excess to different states. (Exports should not proven on the charts above.)
How Missouri made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Missouri’s electrical energy era combine has been dominated by coal for greater than 20 years. Still, coal-fired energy declined to 59 p.c of all electrical energy generated within the state in 2023 from 82 p.c in 2001 as older coal vegetation went offline or switched to pure gasoline. Gas- and wind-powered era have made positive factors over the previous decade, however, regardless of a dip in 2021, nuclear stays the state’s second largest supply of energy.
Missouri sometimes makes use of extra electrical energy than it generates in-state and pulls energy from different states via regional grids. (Electricity imports should not proven on the charts above.)
How Montana made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Coal has been the highest supply of electrical energy produced in Montana for a lot of the previous 20 years, however its share of the state’s era combine has declined as wind energy has grown and older coal-fired energy vegetation have been retired. Hydro, lengthy the state’s second-largest supply of electrical energy, briefly surpassed coal as the highest power-producer in 2020, however hydroelectric era dropped significantly by 2023 amid drought situations.
Montanans solely use about two-thirds of the electrical energy produced within the state. Much of the remainder is shipped to Washington and Oregon by way of interstate transmission traces. New transmission projects are in development that would increase how a lot Montana-generated electrical energy strikes to different states (and the opposite manner round, when wanted).
How Nebraska made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Coal has been the highest supply of electrical energy produced in Nebraska for greater than 20 years, however its era share has declined lately as wind energy has surged. The quantity of nuclear energy produced in Nebraska additionally declined after one of many state’s two nuclear vegetation, Fort Calhoun, completely shut down in 2016 for financial causes.
Nebraska, like many Great Plains states, has wonderful wind assets, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, however as extra wind generators and photo voltaic farms have been constructed, local opposition to the projects has increased. Several Nebraska counties just lately put in place moratoriums on new wind and photo voltaic tasks, and others have instituted strict necessities for the place they are often constructed.
Nebraska produces extra energy than it consumes at dwelling and sends the remainder to different states via long-distance transmission traces. (Exports should not proven on the chart above.)
How Nevada made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Natural gasoline surpassed coal as Nevada’s prime supply of energy era in 2005 and has been the state’s largest electrical energy provider since. More just lately, photo voltaic has surged to turn out to be the state’s second-largest supply of electrical energy.
In the meantime, coal energy has continued to say no. Many of the state’s older, coal-fired energy vegetation have shuttered over the previous 20 years due to competition from cheaper natural gas and state laws that require renewable power growth. Nevada’s two remaining coal vegetation are scheduled to be transformed to pure gasoline by 2026.
Last yr, about 40 p.c of the facility produced within the state got here from renewable power. Large-scale photo voltaic arrays and rooftop panels offered 26 p.c. Geothermal vegetation, which harvest warmth from deep beneath the Earth’s floor, provided an extra 10 p.c. Most of the remainder got here from hydro. (The Hoover Dam, one of many nation’s largest hydroelectric dams, sits on Nevada’s border with Arizona, offering energy to each states.)
The speedy development of solar energy lately has prompted the state to strengthen its goals for renewable energy. Nevada regulation now requires that 50 p.c of the electrical energy bought by utilities within the state come from renewable sources by 2030.
How New Hampshire made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
The bulk of electrical energy generated in New Hampshire over the previous 20 years has come from the state’s solely nuclear reactor, Seabrook Station. Natural gasoline has been the state’s second-largest supply of energy for the reason that early 2000s, when two new producing stations went on-line. The share of electrical energy provided by coal has declined over the previous 20 years, shrinking to about 1 p.c in 2023 from 25 p.c in 2001.
New Hampshire at present generates about 16 p.c of its electrical energy from renewable sources, largely hydro and biomass, a kind of power that comes from burning wooden and different natural matter. The state requires utilities to get 25 p.c of the facility they promote to clients from renewable sources by 2025, a goal they will fulfill by buying renewable power credit.
New Hampshire produces extra energy than it consumes and sends the surplus to different New England states and Canada. (Exports should not proven on the chart above.)
How New Jersey made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Nuclear was the highest supply of electrical energy era in New Jersey till 2015, when pure gasoline surpassed it for the primary time. Over the previous decade, pure gasoline and nuclear power have produced nearly the entire state’s electrical energy, however photo voltaic has made inroads, supplying 7 p.c of energy final yr.
In 2018, the state’s Oyster Creek nuclear plant, the oldest within the nation on the time, closed down, partly due to competitors from cheaper pure gasoline. That identical yr, the New Jersey Legislature accepted new subsidies to maintain the state’s remaining three nuclear vegetation worthwhile. The governor, Philip D. Murphy, mentioned the vegetation offered essential, emissions-free energy that may not contribute to local weather change and pointed to “the thousands of jobs they support.”
New Jersey has a renewable energy standard that requires 35 p.c of the electrical energy bought within the state to return from renewable sources by 2025, with that requirement rising to 50 p.c by 2030. To assist attain these objectives, the state wants to build wind farms off its coast, the place there may be considerable wind power potential. But proposed tasks have stirred up fierce local opposition.
The state consumes extra energy than it produces inside its borders and imports electrical energy from close by states via the regional grid. (Imports should not included on the chart above.)
How New Mexico made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Coal was New Mexico’s main supply of electrical energy era for a lot of the final 20 years. But coal-fired energy has declined for the reason that 2000s in response to more durable air high quality rules, cheaper pure gasoline and California’s choice in 2014 to cease buying electrical energy generated from coal in neighboring states. Over the previous decade, wind-powered era has surged in New Mexico, and, in 2022, wind surpassed coal as the highest supply of electrical energy produced within the state.
New Mexico has a few of the finest wind, photo voltaic and geothermal power assets within the nation, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Last yr, the state produced greater than 46 p.c of its energy from renewable power, largely wind and photo voltaic. State regulation requires investor-owned utilities to get 50 p.c of the electrical energy they promote from renewable sources by 2030, and 100 p.c from a broader array of carbon-free sources by 2045.
The state already exports a big quantity of electrical energy to Arizona and California, but it surely may quickly turn out to be an excellent greater energy provider. Last yr, officers broke ground on a major new transmission project that can ship renewable wind energy from central New Mexico to more-populated elements of the West. (Exports should not proven on the chart above.)
How New York made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Natural gasoline and nuclear power have fueled the vast majority of New York’s electrical energy for the previous 20 years. But gasoline has expanded its function within the state’s energy combine throughout that point, whereas nuclear era declined lately. The state shut down its controversial Indian Point nuclear plant in 2021, inflicting nuclear era to fall and greenhouse gas emissions to rise.
Last yr, about 32 p.c of the facility produced in New York got here from renewable sources, largely hydro. The state turned on its first offshore wind farm on the finish of the yr however has struggled to get different offshore wind tasks off the bottom. The state’s bold local weather regulation requires utilities to get 70 p.c of the electrical energy they promote from renewable sources by 2030 and to shift fully to carbon-free energy a decade later.
New York tends to eat extra electrical energy than it produces and at present imports energy from neighboring states and Canada. (Electricity imports should not included on the chart above.)
How North Carolina made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Coal-fired energy vegetation offered the vast majority of North Carolina’s electrical energy era through the 2000s , however 32 of the state’s coal-burning units have retired since 2010 and coal’s share within the state electrical energy combine has dwindled. Natural gasoline, in the meantime, has surged to turn out to be North Carolina’s prime supply of energy, producing greater than 40 p.c of the state’s electrical energy final yr.
North Carolina additionally will get almost a tenth of its energy from photo voltaic. The state’s distinctive implementation of a decades-old federal mandate, the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978, helped encourage the development of utility-scale solar projects, however the development of solar energy has slowed in recent years.
In 2021, a bipartisan invoice handed by state lawmakers required North Carolina’s largest utility, Duke Energy, to realize a 70 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from 2005 ranges by the tip of the last decade. But this yr, Duke Energy asked for more time to meet that deadline and for permission to construct a fleet of recent gas-burning energy vegetation.
How North Dakota made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
As in lots of Great Plains states, wind energy has grown quickly in North Dakota. Last yr, wind generators generated 36 p.c of the state’s electrical energy, greater than twice as a lot as a decade earlier than. But coal nonetheless dominates the state’s electrical combine.
North Dakota has each substantial coal reserves and abundant wind. The state produces considerably extra electrical energy than is consumed inside its borders and sends about two-thirds to neighboring states and Canada via high-voltage transmission traces. (Exports should not included on the chart above.)
How Ohio made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Coal was Ohio’s principal supply of energy for a lot of the final 20 years, however a increase in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, introduced cheaper pure gasoline within the 2010s and utilities shut down a number of massive coal vegetation. Gas took over because the state’s prime supply of electrical energy in 2019 and now fuels almost 60 p.c of the state’s energy era.
Ohio produces an extra 12 p.c of its electrical energy from two nuclear vegetation alongside Lake Erie, which have additionally confronted stiff price competitors from gasoline. In 2019, Ohio lawmakers passed a bill that gave the state’s nuclear energy vegetation greater than $1 billion in subsidies to remain open, bailed out two coal vegetation and weakened the state’s renewable electrical energy necessities. The nuclear subsidies had been repealed in 2021 amid a serious public corruption scandal, however different elements of the regulation have remained in place.
Ohio will get a small portion of its energy from renewable sources right now: About 2 p.c from wind power and 1 p.c from photo voltaic. More than one-fourth of Ohio counties have banned or restricted the construction of new wind or solar projects since 2021 when one other state regulation gave county officers decision-making energy over the place to find renewable power.
How Oklahoma made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
The majority of Oklahoma’s energy era has traditionally come from fossil fuels, however wind energy has surged within the state over the previous decade. Coal was the state’s prime energy producer within the 2000s, however pure gasoline started competing for the highest slot within the late 2000s and early 2010s and coal energy declined sharply over the following decade. Wind energy has grown rapidly within the meantime, briefly changing into the state’s largest energy producer in 2022 earlier than dropping under gasoline once more final yr.
Oklahoma was the third-largest producer of wind energy within the nation final yr, behind Texas and Iowa. The state generates extra electrical energy than it consumes and sends its further energy to different states over the regional grid. (Exports should not included on the chart above.)
How Oregon made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Most of the electrical energy produced in Oregon in any given yr comes from hydroelectric dams, however the precise quantity can fluctuate relying on precipitation. Power from pure gasoline sometimes will increase throughout drought years and reduces in years with ample rain and snow.
Over the previous decade, wind has grown to turn out to be the third-largest supply of electrical energy generated within the state. In an effort to encourage extra non-hydroelectric renewable energy, Oregon requires its massive, investor-owned utilities to get 50 percent of the electricity they sell to customers from new renewable energy sources by 2040. Other utilities are topic to decrease requirements.
In most years, Oregon exports a few of its energy to close by states. (Exports should not included within the chart above.)
How Pennsylvania made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Coal was Pennsylvania’s prime supply of electrical energy till 2014, however its function within the state’s energy combine has declined sharply since then as pure gasoline has surged.
Gas manufacturing from hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, unleashed a flood of low-cost pure gasoline in Pennsylvania beginning within the 2000s. As a end result, electrical utilities started closing down older coal vegetation in favor of newer gas-powered generators.
Gas is now placing stress on the state’s nuclear vegetation, too. After one of many state’s nuclear energy vegetation, Three Mile Island, shut down in 2019, pro-nuclear teams sought state subsidies to maintain the remaining reactors open, saying that the lack of this emissions-free electrical energy is bad news for climate change. Last yr, nuclear fueled 32 p.c of the state’s energy era, whereas different carbon-free sources provided lower than 4 p.c.
Pennsylvania is the nation’s third-largest producer of electrical energy, behind Texas and Florida, and the state is a serious provider of energy to the remainder of the Mid-Atlantic area. (Electricity exports should not proven on the chart above.)
How Rhode Island made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Natural gasoline dominates electrical energy era in Rhode Island, however photo voltaic power has grown rapidly lately. Solar provided 12 p.c of the state’s electrical energy final yr, up from lower than 1 p.c in 2017.
Rhode Island tightened its renewable power customary in 2022 and now requires state electrical energy suppliers to get 100 p.c of the facility they promote to shoppers from renewable sources by 2033. The state consumes extra electrical energy than it generates and imports further energy via New England’s regional grid. (Imports should not included on the chart above.)
How South Carolina made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
The majority of the electrical energy generated in South Carolina has come from nuclear energy for greater than 20 years. But era from pure gasoline has greater than doubled within the state over the previous decade as coal energy has declined. Gas overtook coal in 2018 because the state’s second-largest energy producer.
In 2017, utilities in South Carolina deserted plans to construct two new nuclear reactors after main delays and billion-dollar price overruns. The state produced lower than 8 p.c of its energy from renewable sources final yr, largely photo voltaic and hydro.
South Carolina produces extra energy than it consumes and sends the excess to neighboring states. (Exports should not included on the chart above.)
How South Dakota made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Hydroelectric dams provided the majority of electrical energy era in South Dakota for a lot of the previous 20 years, however coal surpassed hydro because the state’s prime energy producer throughout three years — 2001, 2004 and 2008 — and, extra just lately, wind energy has taken over.
Coal’s share of the state era combine has declined considerably for the reason that 2010s. Wind, nonetheless, has surged. Wind power has been South Dakota’s prime supply of energy since 2021, supplying greater than half of the state’s electrical energy era final yr.
South Dakota makes far more energy right now than it did 20 years in the past and exports electrical energy throughout the Central and Western United States. (Exports should not proven on the chart above.)
How Tennessee made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Coal was Tennessee’s prime supply of electrical energy era between 2001 and 2016, however its share of the state’s energy combine has declined considerably over the previous decade. In 2016, a brand new nuclear reactor was finally completed in Tennessee after a long time of delays. In 2017, coal-powered era dipped under nuclear for the primary time in almost 20 years. More just lately, rising pure gasoline era has vied with coal because the state’s second largest energy producer.
Tennessee consumes extra energy than it produces and makes up the shortfall by importing electrical energy from close by states. (Imports should not included on the chart above.)
How Texas made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Texas produces extra electrical energy than some other state, by a large margin, and its energy combine has lengthy been led by pure gasoline. Coal-fired era within the state has declined over the previous decade as wind energy has elevated. In 2020, wind surpassed coal to turn out to be the second-largest supply of electrical energy era in Texas.
The state is, by far, the nation’s largest producer of wind energy right now, with Iowa and Oklahoma in a distant second and third place. In latest years, solar energy has additionally surged within the state, rising from 1 p.c of the state’s electrical combine in 2019 to 6 p.c final yr.
Utilities and companies within the state have largely turned to wind and solar energy as a result of they’re so low-cost to construct, and never due to state mandates. However, the state has cleared lots of the boundaries to constructing new renewable tasks and different power infrastructure, creating “an environment where these things can thrive,” Dr. Lott of Columbia University mentioned.
But whilst energy era from renewable sources soars, in absolute phrases, Texas continues to burn extra pure gasoline and extra coal than some other state.
Unlike most different states, Texas operates its personal energy grid, which is simply minimally related to the nation’s different regional grids. That means Texas is essentially dependent by itself assets to fulfill its electrical energy wants.
How Utah made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
The majority of electrical energy produced in Utah nonetheless comes from coal, however coal’s share of the state’s energy combine has declined during the last decade as pure gasoline and photo voltaic era have elevated.
Solar is the biggest renewable supply of energy within the state, offering 14 p.c of Utah’s electrical energy era final yr. Utah has a goal for utilities to generate or procure 20 p.c of the electrical energy they promote to clients from renewable sources by 2025.
The state produces extra power than it consumes and sends the excess to close by states, like California. (Exports should not included on the chart above.)
At least one Utah energy plant is switching from burning coal to natural gas to adjust to California’s stricter environmental rules. But Utah lawmakers are taking a look at methods to keep the coal power plant running alongside the brand new gasoline facility.
How Vermont made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Most of the electrical energy generated in Vermont got here from nuclear energy till 2014, when the state’s solely nuclear plant, Vermont Yankee, closed down. Since then, just about the entire electrical energy produced within the state has come from renewable sources, together with hydropower, biomass, wind and photo voltaic.
But Vermont now generates a lot much less electrical energy, in whole, than it did earlier than the nuclear plant shut down and has to import a considerable quantity of energy from different New England states and Canada to fulfill demand. (Imports should not proven on the chart above.)
Vermont just lately strengthened its renewable power customary to require that 100 percent of electricity sold in the state come from renewable sources by 2035.
How Virginia made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Coal was the highest supply of electrical energy produced in Virginia between 2001 and 2008, however its share has declined since then. By 2015, pure gasoline had turn out to be the state’s largest supply of electrical energy, a results of the nationwide increase in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, which unleashed a wave of low-cost, plentiful gasoline. Nuclear era has offered a little bit greater than one-third of Virginia’s electrical energy, on common, over the previous 20 years.
In 2020, Virginia’s Democratic-led Legislature passed a clean energy law that established new power effectivity requirements, set a schedule for closing outdated fossil gasoline energy vegetation and required the state’s two largest utilities get all of their electrical energy from carbon-free sources by 2050. But a brand new, Republican administration has pushed to revise that regulation and shift the state’s focus towards an “all of the above” energy strategy that features better assist for pure gasoline energy.
The whole quantity of energy produced in Virginia has been rising, however the state can be going through rising demand from power-hungry information facilities. Dominion Energy, the state’s largest electrical utility, has proposed meeting that demand with a mixture of new renewable energy and gasoline era in a plan that would improve the corporate’s total emissions.
Virginia at present consumes extra electrical energy than it generates and will get further energy from two regional grids that serve the state. (Imports should not included on the chart above.)
How Washington made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Washington is the nation’s largest producer of hydroelectric energy, which has dominated the state’s era combine for greater than 20 years. The quantity of energy produced by hydro fluctuates from yr to yr with adjustments in precipitation, and different sources — together with pure gasoline, nuclear, wind and coal — make up nearly the entire relaxation.
Washington produces extra electrical energy than it consumes and exports energy to Canada and different Western states. (Exports should not proven on the chart above.)
In 2019, the state required its electrical utilities to transition fully away from fossil fuels as a power source by 2045.
How West Virginia made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Coal nonetheless dominates West Virginia’s energy combine. It has provided greater than 85 p.c of the electrical energy produced within the state yearly for greater than 20 years. While pure gasoline and wind have elevated their era share over the previous decade, they nonetheless account for a comparatively small portion of the electrical energy produced within the state.
In 2015, West Virginia turned the primary state to repeal its renewable energy standard after years of lobbying by conservative teams. The regulation required utilities to get 25 p.c of their electrical energy from various and renewable power sources by 2025. Opponents of the usual mentioned it was hurting coal jobs and elevating electrical energy charges, whereas supporters mentioned it could assist to diversify the state’s electrical sector at a time when the nationwide coal market was in decline.
The whole quantity of energy generated by West Virginia has declined over the previous 20 years as coal energy has been squeezed by competition from cheaper regional sources and older coal-fired energy vegetation have retired. But the state nonetheless generates extra electrical energy than it consumes and provides a big quantity of energy to different Mid-Atlantic States via the shared regional grid. (Exports should not pictured within the chart above.)
How Wisconsin made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
Coal was lengthy Wisconsin’s prime supply of electrical energy era, however, after years of speedy development, pure gasoline took over because the state’s largest energy producer in 2022. Wind and solar energy have grown rapidly within the state lately, however each sources stay comparatively small gamers in Wisconsin’s electrical energy combine.
In 2019, Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, set a purpose for the state to shift to 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2050 and created a brand new state workplace to guide the transition. But the proposal has confronted opposition from the Republican-led Legislature.
Wisconsin makes use of extra electrical energy than it generates in-state, so it imports further energy from the regional electrical grid. (Imports should not proven on the chart above.)
How Wyoming made electrical energy
from 2001 to 2023
Percentage of energy produced from every power supply
The overwhelming majority of electrical energy generated in Wyoming nonetheless comes from coal, however wind energy has made inroads over the previous decade. Last yr, wind provided greater than a fifth of the electrical energy produced within the state.
Wyoming has been the nation’s prime coal-producing state for many years and the state can be home to “some of the greatest wind resources in the nation,” in accordance with the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Because of its small inhabitants, Wyoming produces far more energy than it consumes and sends about 60 p.c out of state. Several major transmission line projects are at present in growth to maneuver extra of Wyoming’s plentiful wind energy to different Western states. (Exports should not pictured within the chart above.)
Data notes and methodology
Data comes from the U.S. Energy Information Administration and displays internet electrical energy era between 2001 and 2023, damaged out by gasoline supply. The information contains utility-scale energy era and small-scale era from applied sciences like rooftop photo voltaic, in addition to industrial and business cogeneration. Data for 2023 is preliminary.
Cross-state imports and exports of electrical energy should not proven within the charts, however electrical energy routinely flows between states and most states belong partially or in entire to wider energy markets. Still, every state has the facility to form its power-generation combine via rules. How states generate electrical energy can be influenced by the provision of native and regional power assets. For instance: Abundant wind within the Midwest, plentiful sunshine within the Southwest, and native coal in West Virginia and Wyoming.
The charts don’t replicate era from pumped hydro or grid-scale battery storage as a result of charging and discharging should not reported individually by the E.I.A.
