Top Sources of Energy for Electricity Providers
We’ve previously covered how to make electricity, along with several types of electricity generation that are currently being used and improved on to increase efficiency in the energy industry. In this article, we’ll take a look at the most popular sources of electricity used by the energy industry today and how those trends might change in the future.
The following types of electricity generation represent the most popular used by energy suppliers in the United States:
- Coal still makes up the majority of electricity generation due to its current availability and the low cost of using it for energy production. It is a non-renewable resource, however, and will likely be phased out in favor of more renewable sources as they fall in price.
- Gas and Oil are also non-renewable fossil fuels that constitute a major share of all electricity generation in the United States. The gas category includes natural gas and other gases.
- Nuclear power is responsible for another major share. Since nuclear power is clean and efficient, it is growing in popularity, but there are still public concerns over the safety and health of such electricity generation.
- Hydroelectric power uses the natural flow of water to generate electricity. It is a highly efficient and very clean source of energy.
- Wind power is also growing in popularity due to its inexpensiveness and practicality. Wind energy harnesses the momentum of large turbines turned by natural winds and converts it to electricity.
- Solar power represents only a fraction of current energy companies’ production, mostly because of its current expensiveness for a large-scale operation. As solar energy production becomes cheaper, it will likely replace older, non-renewable sources of energy.
In the future, electric companies will begin to gradually transition from relying mostly on non-renewable fossil fuel sources, such as coal, gas, and oil, to relying mostly on clean, renewable sources of energy such as hydroelectric and wind power. For more energy industry news and tips on how to save electricity in your own home, keep reading the Star Energy Partners blog.
