Transportation and Electricity Transmission - Energy Policy Analysis: A Conceptual Framework - page 209

Figure 13.2 Summer Electric Generating Capacity by Fuel Source, 2010

Petroleum 5.40% Solar

0.09%

Geothermal 0.20%

Biomass 1.10%

Wind 3.80%

Hydro 7.60%

Coal 30.50%

Nuclear 9.70%

Natural gas 39.40%

Source: USEIA 2011b, Table ES1.

for electricity generally occurs in the United States. Total electric generating capacity available in
the United States in 2010 was slightly more than 1 million (1,039,137) megawatts (MWe), with
almost two-fifths (39.4 percent) from natural gas and nearly one-third (30.5 percent) from coal.
Nuclear capacity was 9.7 percent and oil 5.4 percent of total generating capacity available. About
12.8 percent of total generating capacity was provided by all renewable sources together.
The portion of electricity actually produced in the United States by each fuel source in 2010 is
illustrated in Figure 13.3. Total electricity generated in 2010 was a bit over 4 trillion (4,125,060,000)
MWh, with 44.8 percent generated using coal, 24.0 percent from natural gas, less than one (0.9)
percent from petroleum products, and 19.6 percent from nuclear plants. Renewable sources to-
gether generated about 10.4 percent of total electric power, the largest portion produced using
hydroelectric facilities at 6.3 percent, then wind at 2.3 percent, biomass at 1.4 percent, geothermal