Energy Sources

 

                                                             Energy Sources

Some observations on the shares of energy sources used to generate the nation’s electricity from 1949 to 2020:
Coal was the No. 1 fuel source for electricity in every year until 2016 when natural gas became the No. 1 fuel source.
In every year from 1949 to 2011 coal supplied at least 40% of the nation’s electric power and in most years (43) supplied more than 50%.
In every year from 1983 and 2008, nuclear supplied more electric power than natural gas, and in 2020 it generated more electricity than coal.
Natural gas has become so abundant and cheap that it now supplies more electric power (41.2% this year) than coal and nuclear combined (38.3%).