The Top Source of Electricity by State and Province

Which regions rely heavily on wind, coal, gas, nuclear, hydro and even oil?

Power generation across the US and Canada is more varied than opinions on the best road trip snack (for the record, it’s Flamin’ Hot Cheetos). Tied to long histories of resource development and innovation, today’s power sources reflect distinct energy regions across North America.

• Coal Country spans much of the US Northeast, historically powering the country with abundant coal reserves. While coal’s decline has reshaped the region, natural gas from the Marcellus Shale is shifting its landscape.

• A wind belt cuts across the central US and into Canada. Texas leads the charge, earning the nickname “the Saudi Arabia of Wind,” while states like Iowa and Kansas regularly generate more than half their electricity from wind farms.

• A solar belt stretches across the southwestern US, where states like California, Arizona and Nevada have built some of the world’s largest solar farms.

• Northern hydro potential dominates North America’s hydropower scene, with large reservoirs and generating stations supplying many parts of Canada and some US states.

• A nuclear corridor runs through parts of the US Northeast and Midwest, plus Ontario. Home to some of the oldest and most productive nuclear plants in the world, this region has been a cornerstone of baseload electricity generation for decades.

• The shale gas region of the US Northeast, anchored by the Marcellus and Utica formations, has driven a shift away from coal and propelled the US to become a global energy exporter via LNG.

Dataset: Orennia Power Project Dashboard

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Written by Aaron Foyer, Vice President of Research and Analytics at Orennia

As always, feel free to reach out to me at aaron.foyer@orennia.com