Electricity generation by fuel in the United States 1990-2018

In the United States, coal as a source of net electricity generation has declined over the last years, decreasing to 1,146 terawatt hours in 2018 from a peak of 2,013 terawatt hours in 2005. In contrast, there has been a rise in natural gas and renewable sources for electricity generation. Natural gas has even surpassed coal as the most common source of energy, accounting for 35 percent of electricity generation. Overall, electricity generation from electric utilities has decreased in the U.S.

Electricity generation in the U.S.

Most electricity is generated from steam turbines through the use of fossil fuels, nuclear, biomass, geothermal, and solar thermal energy. Other systems such as gas turbines, hydro turbines, wind turbines, and solar photovoltaics are also major generation technologies. Fossil fuels currently remain the most common source of electricity, especially natural gas, which uses steam and gas turbines to generate electricity. Nuclear power is the second most used source of electricity and generates electricity from nuclear fission through steam turbines. A wide variety of renewable sources have become more prominent in recent years, including hydroelectricity, wind energy, solar energy, and geothermal.