US Power

Electricity consumption per inhabitant is calculated according to the DOE Energy Information Administration , the report "Electric Power Annual 2012" ^{[6] [7]} The population is specified according to census.gov ^[8] . Per capita consumption in 2012 fell by 3.2% compared with 2002, and by 6% compared with the peak year 2007.

1. The column "Gas" includes natural gas and other types of gas.
2. Solar energy includes photovoltaics (solar cells) and solar thermal energy
3. Other includes various types of generation, hydroaccumulation, import
4. In Bio includes the energy obtained from the direct burning of garbage, landfill gas , etc.
5. Pumped storage stations excluded from hydropower
6. In the total column "Total" additionally included imported volumes.

For 2012, the total installed capacity of power generation in the United States was 1,063 gigawatts. The main sources of installed capacity: ^[9]

• Thermal power plants on combustible minerals : 776 GW
• Nuclear power stations: 102 GW
• Hydropower: 79 GW
• Wind Power: 59 GW

Electricity production in 2012 was 4047 TWh. Also, 59.3 TWh was imported and 12 TWh ^[10] were exported, with a total of 4095 TWh available domestically. The main sources of energy produced:

• Thermal stations on combustible minerals: 2775 TWh
• Nuclear power stations: 769 TWh
• Hydropower: 276 TWh
• Other types of renewable energy: 218 TWh (including energy from garbage, geothermal, wind and solar energy)

The share of coal and nuclear power plants in the volume of energy produced is much higher than their share in the installed capacity, since it is these stations that provide basic power generation , operating in long-term conditions. Gas and oil-fired power plants cover peak loads , while wind generators and solar plants only supply electricity if possible.

1. The column "Gas" includes natural gas and other types of gas.
2. Solar energy includes photovoltaics (solar cells) and solar thermal energy
3. Other includes various types of generation, hydroaccumulation, import
4. In Bio includes the energy obtained from the direct burning of garbage, landfill gas , etc.
5. Pumped storage stations excluded from hydropower
6. In the total column "Total" additionally included imported volumes.

The following table shows the installed capacity by type of energy source and output, according to Electric Electric Annual 2012 ^[12] ].

Coal, oil and natural gas

Fossil fuels, primarily coal, then natural gas, form the basis of the country's electricity production. The share of such thermal power plants reaches 68% of the installed capacity (as of 2010).

In 2007, the US Department of Energy estimated the need for new capacity for 2008–2012 at 92 GW, of which 48 GW will be natural gas stations and 19 GW - coal-fired. ^[13]

In connection with the "shale revolution" there is a gradual reduction in the volume of purchased oil. If in 2005 the USA imported 10.1 million barrels per day, then in 2014 only 7.4 million barrels per day ^[14] . At the same time, in 2010 - 2013, US oil purchases in Venezuela decreased by 33.5%, in Nigeria by 76.4%, and in Mexico by 26.1% ^[14] . But during this period oil purchases were increased in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait ^[14] .

Nuclear power

In 2007, 104 nuclear reactors operated in the United States, generating about 20% of the electricity consumed in the country. Almost 40% of the fuel for them in the period from 2000 to 2013 was provided by Russia, diluting the reserves of highly enriched uranium accumulated in the military programs of the USSR to the state of energy under the HEU-LEU agreement ^{[15] [16] [17]} . For several decades, new nuclear power plants were not built in the country. However, since 2005, interest in the nuclear power industry has increased, for example, in 2002, the Federal Nuclear Power 2010 Program was launched. ^[18] and in 2005, the Energy Policy Act was adopted. ^{[19] [20]} As of March 2009, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission received 26 applications for the construction of new nuclear reactors for the power industry ^[21] However, for 2013, many of the applications were withdrawn due to low prices for electricity produced at thermal power plants from cheap natural gas , which became available in large quantities due to the overactive development of unconventional shale gas fields in the United States (for example, using multi-stage hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling). Energy prices from thermal power plants can reach 4 cents per kWh, while at nuclear power plants, 10 cents per kWh and above. ^[22]

Renewable Energy

Renewable energy in the United States is actively developing. For example, in 2009, a two-fold increase in such power plants over three years was planned. ^{[23] [24]}

Due to renewable sources in the USA, a little more than 10% of the total energy was produced (the first half of 2008), with hydroelectric power plants producing most of this energy, 6%. ^{[25] The} US Department of Energy does not exclude that by 2030 wind power (including wind turbines installed in the sea) will be able to generate up to 20% of the required electricity (currently only 3%). ^{[26] [27] [28]}

Numerous solar thermal stations are under construction, including 64 MW Nevada Solar One . The major power plants are the SEGS group in the Mojave Desert with a total installed capacity of 354 MW. ^[29] The largest photovoltaic solar station in the United States is a 14 MW Nellis Solar Power Plant near Las Vegas, Nevada , which is likely to generate about 30 million kWh for the Nellis Air Force Base . ^[thirty]

The federal government encourages the development of energy conservation in the country through the Energy Star program. Also in this area is the industrial group “ Alliance to Save Energy ”.

Legislation

Basic laws governing the industry:

• Federal Power Act (1935)
• National Energy Act (1978) and Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA)
• Energy Policy Act (1992)
• Energy Independence and Security Act (2007) - banned incandescent bulbs

Deregulation and competition

Generation

Mains

There are currently two main AC power networks in the US: Eastern Interconnection and Western Interconnection . In addition, there are two small power systems: Alaska Interconnection (Alaska) and Texas Interconnection (Texas). The three power systems, Eastern, Western and Texas, are connected to each other through DC connections, allowing the transmission of electricity across the continental states of the United States, to Canada and to Mexico. Network operators are non-commercial transmission system operator (TSO)

Standard parameters of the household power supply network - 120 V, 60 Hz.

• Changing Structure of the Electric Power Industry: An Update ( EIA, 2000)

• US Department of Energy (DoE)
• Energy Information Administration