U.S. electric power industry's revenue 1970-2019
Electric Power Industry
The electric power industry consists of the generation, transmission, and distribution of electric power to the public. First developed in the late 1800’s, the electric power industry has evolved tremendously. At first, the industry began as a “natural monopoly” as limiting the number of organizations participating would make the market more efficient. The industry was subsequently broken up, separating generation and distribution of electricity, to create a more competitive market. The industry is normally regulated through price controls, and typically state owned. However, in recent history, the United States has begun to deregulate the electric power industry.
Fossil fuel power in the United States
Natural resources such as coal, petroleum, and gas are vital resources used in the United States for the electric power industry. Unfortunately, fossil fuels are finite resources. The average cost of coal for the electric power industry in the United States has been fluctuating since 2005, but has seen a recent decrease. The average cost of petroleum has seen higher waves of fluctuation in the last decade. On the other hand, the average cost of natural gas has drastically decreased over the last years.