Tracking nuclear power generation for the top 5 countries (TWh):
- The U.S. continues to generate the most
- China currently generates the second largest amount, surpassing France in 2020
- France has experienced renewed growth since 2023
- Russia and South Korea have been generally trending upward

Ever wonder what ‘color’ of hydrogen we produce most in the U.S.? Answer: Grey hydrogen. Produced by steam reforming of natural gas, it is used in the petrochemicals industry and for ammonia production. Green hydrogen, from renewables, is still an emerging method. Chart from respectmyplanet.org.

Using the same Ember dataset, I created another chart to visualize the 2024 US Electricity Data. Shown here: emissions from electricity generation by fuel type. Even with the highest emissions among renewables, solar is a small percentage of the more than 900k kilotons of CO2 emitted by gas (0.02%).

Check out this chart I just created using the "US Electricity Data" yearly dataset from Ember. Last year, majority of our electricity was generated by gas. Electricity (GWh) generated by nuclear energy surpassed generation from coal, and wind energy dominated among renewables.

Most of the sunlight that reaches a PV cell is lost. Cell efficiency is the percentage of solar energy converted to usable electricity. Researchers aim to improve this efficiency to make these technologies cost-competitive, designing with wavelength, recombination, temperature, reflection in mind.

Energy storage systems are crucial for managing renewable energy fluctuations, with applications like load leveling and emergency power supply. As demand grows, it is increasingly important to match ES technologies to the unique demands of industrial facilities for effective demand-side management.

Wind power is currently the largest renewable energy source in the U.S., accounting for at least 10.1% of electricity generated at a total capacity of about 153 GW (2024). A new record was set in Spring 2024, as wind generation exceeded coal-fired generation for two consecutive months.

While soft costs of solar PV systems are rising, community solar, intended to increase access to solar energy, is gaining interest and may help alleviate some soft cost barriers. Florida, New York, Massachusetts, and Minnesota comprise about 73% of the total market (NREL).

The EV market is trending towards larger models. The “SUV loophole”, which sets more lenient tailpipe emissions rules, incentivizes US carmakers to create larger vehicles. American consumers prefer bigger cars, and switching to EVs offers fuel savings and reduced emissions.

Don’t let the name fool you. Here are the facts:
• Natural gas is a fossil fuel
• Natural gas is mainly methane, “the second-largest contributor to climate warming after carbon dioxide (CO2)”, according to NASA
• Natural gas is not renewable
• Acquiring this finite resource involves fracking