Electricity Production

Extracted Attributes

• Definition

  Process of generating electric power from sources of primary energy

• Future Demand

  Expected to rise due to electrification of transport, homes, and industry

• US Policy Shift

  Elimination of EV tax credits and solar energy subsidies, encouragement of private investment in nuclear energy

• Historical Start

  Commercial production began with coupling of dynamo to hydraulic turbine

• Global Trend (2023)

  Electricity supply approaching peak CO2 emissions due to growth in solar and wind power

• US Policy Rationale

  To meet rising electricity production needs, heavily influenced by AI

• US Energy Mix (2023)

  Fossil fuels (60%), Nuclear energy (19%), Renewable energy (21%)

• US Policy Consequence

  Public debate and criticism regarding national debt and economic strategies

• US Renewable Share (2022)

  Over 20% of total U.S. electricity

• Primary Generation Methods

  Electromechanical generators driven by heat engines (combustion, nuclear fission), kinetic energy of flowing water, wind, solar photovoltaics, geothermal power

• US Total Generation (2023)

  4,178 billion kWh from utility-scale facilities

• OECD Energy Mix (March 2025)

  Fossil fuels (43.2%), Renewable sources (39.5%), Nuclear power (16.9%)

• US Renewable Breakdown (2022)

  Wind (10.3%), Hydropower (6.0%), Solar (3.4%), Biomass (1.2%), Geothermal (0.4%)

• US Renewable Breakdown (2023)

  Wind (10.2%), Hydropower (5.7%), Solar (3.9%)

• OECD Total Net Generation (March 2025)

  908.7 TWh

Timeline

• Commercial electricity production began with the coupling of the dynamo to the hydraulic turbine, marking the start of the Second Industrial Revolution. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1870-01-01

• Renewable energy generated over 20% of all U.S. electricity. (Source: Energy.gov)

  2022-01-01

• Global electricity supply was reported to be approaching peak CO2 emissions due to the growth of solar and wind power. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2023-01-01

• About 4,178 billion kilowatthours (kWh) of electricity were generated at utility-scale facilities in the United States. (Source: EIA)

  2023-01-01

• Total net electricity generation in the OECD reached 908.7 TWh, an increase of 3.1% compared to March 2024. (Source: IEA)

  2025-03-01

Electricity generation

Electricity generation is the process of generating electric power from sources of primary energy. For utilities in the electric power industry, it is the stage prior to its delivery (transmission, distribution, etc.) to end users or its storage, using for example, the pumped-storage method. Consumable electricity is not freely available in nature, so it must be "produced", transforming other forms of energy to electricity. Production is carried out in power stations, also called "power plants". Electricity is most often generated at a power plant by electromechanical generators, primarily driven by heat engines fueled by combustion or nuclear fission, but also by other means such as the kinetic energy of flowing water and wind. Other energy sources include solar photovoltaics and geothermal power. There are exotic and speculative methods to recover energy, such as proposed fusion reactor designs which aim to directly extract energy from intense magnetic fields generated by fast-moving charged particles generated by the fusion reaction (see magnetohydrodynamics). Phasing out coal-fired power stations and eventually gas-fired power stations, or, if practical, capturing their greenhouse gas emissions, is an important part of the energy transformation required to limit climate change. Vastly more solar power and wind power is forecast to be required, with electricity demand increasing strongly with further electrification of transport, homes and industry. However, in 2023, it was reported that the global electricity supply was approaching peak CO2 emissions thanks to the growth of solar and wind power.

Web Search Results

• Electricity generation - Wikipedia

  Consumable electricity is not freely available in nature, so it must be "produced", transforming other forms of energy to electricity. Production is carried out in power stations, also called "power plants". Electricity is most often generated at a power plant by electromechanical generators, primarily driven by heat engines fueled by combustion or nuclear fission, but also by other means such as the kinetic energy of flowing water and wind. Other energy sources include solar photovoltaics and [...] Electricity generation is the process of generating electric power from sources of primary energy. For utilities in the electric power industry, it is the stage prior to its delivery (transmission, distribution, etc.) to end users or its storage, using for example, the pumped-storage method. [...] Commercial electricity production started with the coupling of the dynamo to the hydraulic turbine. The mechanical production of electric power began the Second Industrial Revolution and made possible several inventions using electricity, with the major contributors being Thomas Alva Edison and Nikola Tesla. Previously the only way to produce electricity was by chemical reactions or using battery cells, and the only practical use of electricity was for the telegraph.

• Monthly Electricity Statistics – Data Tools - IEA

  The sum of indigenous net electricity production by energy source. Total value 908 656.7 GWh Share in total net production - Value compared to previous month Up 0.1% Value compared to previous year Up 3.1% Year-to-date value 2 839 562.1 GWh Year-to-date value compared to previous year Up 3.5% Electricity production evolution, OECD Total GWh IEA. All rights reserved. Electricity production by fuel, OECD Total GWh IEA. All rights reserved. [...] Overview #### OECD In March 2025, total net electricity generation in the OECD reached 908.7 TWh, an increase of 3.1% compared to March 2024. Of this total, 392.9 TWh (43.2%) was produced from fossil fuels, 358.7 TWh (39.5%) from renewable sources and 153.2 TWh (16.9%) from nuclear power. On a year-to-date basis, total net electricity production increased by 3.5% in the first quarter of 2025. [...] #### Renewables in March 2025, OECD Total Total value 358 738.8 GWh Share in total net production 39.5% Year-to-date value 1 019 629.2 GWh Year-to-date value compared to previous year Up 2.3% Evolution of renewables and non-renewables power production, OECD Total GWh IEA. All rights reserved. Electricity production by renewable fuel, OECD Total GWh IEA. All rights reserved. #### Non-renewables in March 2025, OECD Total Total value 549 917.9 GWh

• Renewable Energy Pillar

  Renewable energy generates over 20% of all U.S. electricity, and that percentage continues to grow. The following graphic breaks down the shares of total electricity production in 2022 among the types of renewable power: Image 5: Renewable Energy Share of Total U.S. Electricity Production in 2022. 10.3% wind, 6.0% hydropower, 3.4% solar, 1.2% biomass, 0.4% geothermal.

• What is U.S. electricity generation by energy source? - EIA

  | 1 Utility-scale electricity generation is electricity generation from power plants with at least one megawatt (or 1,000 kilowatts) of total electricity generating capacity. Data are for net electricity generation. 2 Small-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are electricity generators with less than one megawatt (MW) of electricity generating capacity, which are not connected at a power plant that has a combined capacity of one MW or larger. Most small-scale PV systems are at or near the [...] What is U.S. electricity generation by energy source? ===================================================== In 2023, about 4,178 billion kilowatthours (kWh) (or about 4.18 trillion kWh) of electricity were generated at utility-scale electricity generation facilities in the United States.1 About 60% of this electricity generation was from fossil fuels—coal, natural gas, petroleum, and other gases. About 19% was from nuclear energy, and about 21% was from renewable energy sources. [...] | Energy source | Billion kWh | Share of total | | --- | --- | --- | | Total - all sources | 4,178 | | Fossil fuels (total) | 2,505 | 60.0% | | Natural gas | 1,802 | 43.1% | | Coal | 675 | 16.2% | | Petroleum (total) | 16 | 0.4% | | Petroleum liquids | 12 | 0.3% | | Petroleum coke | 5 | 0.1% | | Other gases 3 | 11 | 0.3% | | Nuclear | 775 | 18.6% | | Renewables (total) | 894 | 21.4% | | Wind | 425 | 10.2% | | Hydropower | 240 | 5.7% | | Solar (total) | 165 | 3.9% |

• Renewables - Energy System - IEA

  Electricity generation from renewables accounts for about 42% of the total renewable energy supply. For non-bioenergy renewable sources, this share is as high as 82% with the remainder in the form of heat produced in solar thermal and geothermal installations. Solar PV evenly accounted for about 70% of 2023’s growth in renewable electricity generation of over 460 TWh. The rest of the growth came from wind generation, while hydropower generation decreased. Electricity and heat generation growth