The Geographic Dimension of American Electric Power Plants

Non-Renewable Resourced Electric Power Plants

The map above shows non-renewable sourced power plants. Non-renewable, or limited resources include fossil fuels, like coal, petroleum and natural gas, as well as wood, nuclear power plants and large hydroelectric dams, larger than 10 MW. Large hydro is no longer classified as renewable due to the methane-gas emissions from the large reservoir of decaying trees, plants and fish after the oxygen in the water has been depleted. Methane is even more toxic than coal emissions.

Non-renewable electricity production profile:
3,902 plants at 247.7 MW average output per plant becomes 966,508 MW total annual output.

Renewable Resourced Electric Power Plants

The map here displays the wide-ranging installations of renewable power plants. Renewable resources include solar, wind, biomass, geothermal and small hydroelectric (10 MW or less). Small hydroelectric plants do not require separate reservoirs, so as to be abundant and eco-friendly. Despite the apparent abundance of renewable sourced power across the USA, the numbers reveal  much lower capacity per site.

Renewable electricity production profile:
2,972 plants at 27 MW average output per plant becomes 80,277 MW total annual output.

The data comes from the US Energy Information Administration. It indicates that as of late 2014, only around 8 percent of the country's power comes from renewable sources, whereas the remaining 92 percent from wood, fossil or nuclear fuels.

Despite large growth in domestic renewable energy development in the past 5 years, great strides still must be taken to maintain and accelerate the transition from pollution-emitting fossil fuels and to natural energy of the earth (geothermal), sun (solar and wind), water (small hydro) and recycling (biomass).

(Sources: EIA, Census, ArcMap)