See Where Every US State Gets Its Energy From
Thanks to Obama’s Clean Power Plan
announced earlier this week, each state in the US has been charged with
plotting a way to a cleaner energy future. While the goal for the
entire country is to reduce carbon emissions from power plants by a
third by 2030, as you can see from this map, some states are already
getting almost all of their power from carbon-free sources.
The Washington Post’s John Muyskens, Dan Keating and Samuel Granados put together a gorgeous interactive map
showing the location of every energy-generating source in the country
and how much power they’re making. But what’s particularly awesome about
this map is that you can view, state by state, exactly how much of that
energy already comes from renewable sources.
Oregon, for
example, already gets 69 percent of its energy from hydroelectric
plants, 20 percent from natural gas, and 10 percent from wind. Contrast
that to a state like West Virginia, where 95 percent of the energy comes
from coal plants, and you can see how some states will have to change
their entire economies to meet the plan’s mandates.
The maps
also break down each energy source to show which states are leaders in
each type of power generation. You can easily see how each state is
making energy choices that are geographically specific, but also where
the opportunities are still to be found. Solar plants currently only
supply eight percent of the country’s power, but it’s the
fastest-growing renewable energy industry. These maps will change
significantly over the next 15 years, and that’s a very good thing.
Check out the interactive maps and charts at the Washington Post to see the whole package.
Follow the author at @awalkerinLA
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