MEGA SCIENCE 2.0 Electrical & Electronics Sector
Table 4.6 Electricity Generation of US in 2010
4.6.2 CASE STUDY IN UNITED STATES (US) 4.6.2.1 GENERATION SYSTEM The electricity sector of the United States includes a large array of stakeholders that provide services through electricity generation, transmission, distribution, and marketing for industrial, commercial, public, and residential customers. In 2011, the total of installed electricity generation summer capacity in the United States was 1,050.9 GW. The main energy sources for electricity generation include:
Net Generation
4,120.03 bn kW·h
100%
Total Conventional
2,880.68 bn kW·h
69.392%
Total Renewables
436.468 bn kW·h
10.59%
Total Nuclear
806.968 bn kW·h
19.59%
• Thermal/Fossil 786 GW • Nuclear 101 GW • Hydropower 79 GW • Wind 46 GW
Hydroelectric
Furthermore, the actual USA electricity generation in 2011 was4,100.7 Terawatt hours. The USA also imported 52 Terawatt hours and exported 15 Terawatt hours fora total of 4138.7 Terawatt hours for consumption. The electricity generation was primarily from the following sources:
Wind
Biomass and Waste
Geothermal
Solar, Tide and Wave
Figure 4.24 Electricity from renewable sources in US 2010
The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimated that in 2008, 10% of the world’s energy consumption was from renewable energy sources. The EIA forecasts that by 2035, consumption of renewable energy will be about 14% of total world energy consumption.
• Thermal/Fossil 2789 TWh • Nuclear 790 TWh
4.6.2.2 TRANSMISSION SYSTEM
• Hydropower 319 TWh • Other renewables 194 TWh (includinglandfill gas, geothermal energy, solar and wind) About 75% of electricity sales to final customers are undertaken by private utilities, with the remainder being sold by municipal utilities and cooperatives.
77
There are two major Alternating Current (AC) power grids in North America, the Eastern Interconnection and the Western Interconnection. Besides this, there are two minor power grids in the USA, the Alaska Interconnection and the Texas Interconnection. The Eastern, Western, and Texas Interconnections are tied together at various points with DC interconnects allowing electrical power to be transmitted throughout the contiguous US, Canada and parts of Mexico. The first HVDC system using a Modular Multi-Level Converter Supplier was installed in 2010 between Pittsburgh to San Francisco of USA with 85 km cable and 200 km overhead line for 400 MW power transmissions.