Electricity
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EIA's latest Short-Term Energy Outlook for electricity ›
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2012 Brief: Average wholesale electricity prices down compared to last year ›
EIA's latest monthly electricity analysis ›
EIA projects annual growth in U.S. electricity generation averaging 0.9 % ›
Energy in Brief articles
What is the electric power grid?
The grid of electric power lines has evolved into three large interconnected systems that move electricity around the country. Standards have been developed by the electric power industry to ensure coordination for the linked operations.
How much of our electricity is generated from renewable sources?
U.S. power plants used renewable energy sources — water (hydroelectric), wood, wind, organic waste, geothermal, and sun — to generate about 13% of our electricity in 2011.
See all Energy In Brief articles ›
Electricity Explained
Electricity in the United States
Most of the electricity in the United States is produced using steam turbines. Coal is the most common fuel for generating electricity in the United States. In 2011, 42% of the country's nearly 4 trillion kilowatthours of electricity used coal as its source of energy.
Use of electricity
Electricity consumption totaled nearly 3,856 billion Kilowatthours (kWh) in 2011. U.S. electricity use in 2011 was more than 13 times greater than electricity use in 1950.
Features
Short-Term Energy Outlook
Released January 8, 2013 | Next Release: February 12, 2013
EIA's monthly energy projections through 2014 includes projections for electricity generation and prices.
Electricity Monthly Update
Released December 21, 2012
The Electricity Monthly Update is a new EIA product that replaces the Monthly Flash Estimates for Electric Power Data, containing the most recently monthly data.
Electric Power Monthly
Released December 21, 2012
Provides monthly statistics at the state, Census division, and U.S. levels for net generation, fossil fuel consumption and stocks, quantity and quality of fossil fuels, cost of fossil fuels, electricity sales, revenue, and average revenue per kilowatthour of electricity sold.
Annual Energy Outlook 2013 Early Release
Released December 5, 2013
This release is an abridged version of the Annual Energy Outlook that highlights changes in the AEO Reference case projections for key energy topics, including electricity. The Early Release includes data tables for the Reference case only. The full AEO2013 will be released Spring of 2013.
What's New in Electricity
Electricity Wholesale Market Data
January 10, 2013
2012 Brief: Average wholesale electricity prices down compared to last year
January 9, 2013
Monthly coal- and natural gas-fired generation equal for first time in April 2012
January 4, 2013