Energy
What are the types of coal?
How many homes can an average wind turbine power?
What is geologic hydrogen?
The USGS conducts basic research on geologic energy resources including oil, gas, gas hydrates, geothermal, and coal.
What is geologic hydrogen? What is geologic hydrogen?
Geologic hydrogen, also known as natural hydrogen, is hydrogen gas that is naturally found below the surface of the Earth. Unlike hydrogen produced through industrial processes, geologic hydrogen is sourced by and stored in rocks in the ground, similar to traditional petroleum resources. Learn More: USGS Geologic Hydrogen Geologic Hydrogen Prospectivity Map Explorer
What is associated vs. non-associated natural gas? What is associated vs. non-associated natural gas?
Associated (or associated-dissolved) gas is natural gas that is produced along with crude oil, and typically separated from the oil at the wellhead. In contrast, non-associated gas is produced from a well in conventional gas fields that do not produce crude oil. There is also a third category of natural gas production, continuous (or unconventional) gas, that occurs as basin-centered gas, coal-bed...
What materials are used to make wind turbines? What materials are used to make wind turbines?
According to a report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (Table 30), depending on make and model wind turbines are predominantly made of steel (66-79% of total turbine mass); fiberglass, resin or plastic (11-16%); iron or cast iron (5-17%); copper (1%); and aluminum (0-2%). Many turbine components are domestically sourced and manufactured in the United States. According to the Land...
Can wind turbines harm wildlife? Can wind turbines harm wildlife?
A key challenge facing the wind industry is the potential for turbines to adversely affect wild animals both directly, via collisions, as well as indirectly due to noise pollution, habitat loss, and reduced survival or reproduction. Among the most impacted wildlife are birds and bats, which by eating destructive insects provide billions of dollars of economic benefits to the country’s agricultural...
How many homes can an average wind turbine power? How many homes can an average wind turbine power?
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the average U.S. home uses 893 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per month. Per the U.S. Wind Turbine Database, the mean capacity of wind turbines that achieved commercial operations in 2020 is 2.75 megawatts (MW). At a 42% capacity factor (i.e., the average among recently built wind turbines in the United States, per the 2021 edition of...
How many turbines are contained in the U.S. Wind Turbine Database? How many turbines are contained in the U.S. Wind Turbine Database?
As of January 2022, the U.S. Wind Turbine Database (USWTDB) contains more than 70,800 turbines. These turbines have all been constructed since 1980 in approximately 1,500 wind power projects spanning at least 44 states (plus Puerto Rico and Guam). Learn more: Wind Energy
How does carbon get into the atmosphere? How does carbon get into the atmosphere?
Atmospheric carbon dioxide comes from two primary sources—natural and human activities. Natural sources of carbon dioxide include most animals, which exhale carbon dioxide as a waste product. Human activities that lead to carbon dioxide emissions come primarily from energy production, including burning coal, oil, or natural gas. Learn more: Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions (EPA)
How much carbon dioxide does the United States and the World emit each year from energy sources? How much carbon dioxide does the United States and the World emit each year from energy sources?
The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that in 2019, the United States emitted 5,130 million metric tons of energy-related carbon dioxide, while the global emissions of energy-related carbon dioxide totaled 33,621.5 million metric tons.
What’s the difference between geologic and biologic carbon sequestration? What’s the difference between geologic and biologic carbon sequestration?
Geologic carbon sequestration is the process of storing carbon dioxide (CO2) in underground geologic formations. The CO2 is usually pressurized until it becomes a liquid, and then it is injected into porous rock formations in geologic basins. This method of carbon storage is also sometimes a part of enhanced oil recovery, otherwise known as tertiary recovery, because it is typically used later in...
What is carbon sequestration? What is carbon sequestration?
Carbon dioxide is the most commonly produced greenhouse gas. Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide. It is one method of reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere with the goal of reducing global climate change. The USGS is conducting assessments on two major types of carbon sequestration: geologic and biologic.
What is the biggest coal deposit in the United States? What is the biggest coal deposit in the United States?
The biggest coal deposit by volume is the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana, which the USGS estimated to have 1.07 trillion short tons of in-place coal resources, 162 billion short tons of recoverable coal resources, and 25 billion short tons of economic coal resources (also called reserves) in 2013. The coal in the Powder River Basin is subbituminous in rank. Large coal deposits can also...
Which country has the most coal? Which country has the most coal?
As of January 2020, the United States has the largest recoverable coal reserves with an estimated 252 billion short tons of coal remaining, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Learn more: U.S. Coal Resources and Assessment World Coal Quality Inventory