Question

energy sources
lets start with a quick review of how electricity is sourced. electricity is a secondary energy source, meaning its made from primary sources like coal, natural gas, oil, nuclear power and other natural sources. those can be renewable or nonrenewable. the main types of energy used to generate electricity are fossil fuels, nuclear energy, and renewable energy. most electricity is produced using steam turbines powered by fossil fuels, nuclear energy, biomass, geothermal energy, or solar thermal energy. other methods include gas turbines, hydro (water) turbines, wind turbines, and solar panels
electricity generation by source
do you know which energy sources power the u.s. and your state? over time, energy sources and technologies have evolved to meet the growing demand for electricity. some sources have stayed the same, while new ones have been introduced. the u.s. energy information administration (eia) is a great place to learn about the u.s. energy grid. check out the images below to see the electricity generation sources for the u.s. and oklahoma in 2023.
did you know?
in 2023, oklahoma produced nearly three times the energy it used with wind power accounting for 42% of its electricity and ranking third in the u.s. for wind energy generation
source: eia.gov
u.s. electricity generation by source, 2023
source: eia
oklahoma electricity generation by source, 2023
source: eia, electric power monthly
discussion question. based on the data above, what conclusions can you draw about the differences and similarities in how electricity is generated and used across the country and in oklahoma?

Explanation:

• Similarities: Both the U.S. and Oklahoma rely on fossil fuels (natural gas is a significant source in the U.S. data, and natural - gas - fired is a major source in Oklahoma).
• Differences:
• Renewables: Oklahoma has a more prominent role for non - hydroelectric renewables (as seen in its bar chart) compared to the U.S. average (where wind is 10.2% of renewables in the U.S. pie - chart - like data, but Oklahoma's non - hydro renewables bar is large).
• Nuclear: The U.S. has a 18.6% contribution from nuclear energy, while there is no indication of nuclear energy in the Oklahoma electricity generation sources shown.
• Hydro: Hydro contributes 5.7% to the U.S. electricity generation, but in Oklahoma, hydroelectric has a very small contribution (as per the bar chart).

Answer:

Based on the data, similarities include a reliance on fossil fuels (especially natural gas - related sources). Differences are seen in the prominence of non - hydro renewables (more in Oklahoma), the presence of nuclear energy in the U.S. but not in the shown Oklahoma sources, and the contribution of hydro energy (more in the U.S. than in Oklahoma).