Pennsylvania's energy consumption
Pennsylvania's energy consumption reflects a diverse and evolving landscape, deeply rooted in its historical significance as a cornerstone of American energy production. The state is a leader in coal mining and plays a crucial role in petroleum refining in the Northeast. Notably, it ranks second nationally in nuclear energy generation, with about one-third of its electricity derived from nuclear sources. Pennsylvania has transitioned significantly in recent years, reducing its coal-generated electricity from 25% in 2016 to only 3.8% by 2022, while increasing its reliance on renewable energy, which accounts for 5.2% of the electricity mix.
The state is leveraging its plentiful water resources for hydropower generation and has been expanding wind energy production, with 27 wind farms contributing 4% of the electricity as of 2022. Pennsylvania also has a growing solar energy sector, achieving 12% of its total energy from solar power by 2022. Legislative measures have been enacted to promote the use of renewable energy, including mandates that a certain percentage of electricity must come from renewable sources. As Pennsylvania continues to engage in regional initiatives for carbon reduction and energy conservation, it aims to ensure that 35% of its energy comes from renewable sources by 2035, reflecting its commitment to a sustainable energy future.
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Pennsylvania's energy consumption
Summary: Pennsylvania coal mines supply a number of eastern and midwestern states, and the state leads the northeast in petroleum refining. Pennsylvania is second in the nation in the generation of nuclear energy.
The birthplace of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, Pennsylvania has long held a significant role in American political history. Pennsylvania has also played a significant role in the history of energy production. In 1859, Edwin L. Drake discovered oil in Titusville, creating the first oil boom in the world and launching the modern petroleum industry. Almost a century later, the first nuclear power plant became operational in Shippingport. The Keystone State spans an area of 46,058 square miles, and water covers 1,239 square miles of that area. The major rivers are the Allegheny, the Susquehanna, the Delaware, and the Ohio. The only major lake is Lake Erie, the fourth-largest of the Great Lakes. Pennsylvania is in a unique position to share energy resources, because it has common borders with six other states: New York, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and Ohio. Pennsylvania leads the Northeast in petroleum refining, and it began to produce low-sulfur heating oil in 2016. It ranks second in its capacity for generating nuclear energy: about one-third of electricity generated in Pennsylvania is derived from nuclear power. Coal mining has always been a major activity; Pennsylvania is a top coal-mining state. To reduce its carbon footprint, Pennsylvania is an active participant in regional efforts to improve carbon sequestration technologies, and the pursuit of alternative and renewable sources of energy has taken center stage.
The Office of Energy and Technology Deployment, under the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), has the chief responsibility for energy policies and for assessment and promotion of related technologies. The DEP team consists of the Bureau of Energy Innovations and Technology Deployment, the Governor’s Green Government Council, the Office of Energy and Technology, the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority, and the Small Business Ombudsman’s Office. Pennsylvania offers various incentives for promoting energy conservation and the use of renewable energy, including grants for those who use electric vehicles and a biodiesel production incentive program. Public benefit funds have been set aside to allow low-income homes to practice energy conservation, and Pennsylvania is the only American state to mandate universal service and energy conservation by law. The Pennsylvania Low-Income Renewables Pilot Program has made cutting-edge energy technology available to a range of households. Additionally, Pennsylvania participates in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Weatherization Assistance Program, which makes low-income homes more energy efficient.
The Path to Alternative and Renewable Energy Sources
With the fifth-largest population in the United States and a healthy industrial sector, Pennsylvania emitted 213.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2022. About one-quarter of electricity was generated from coal in 2016, but the state made considerable progress in the pursuit of alternative and renewable sources of energy, reducing that figure to 3.8 percent by 2022. The state generated 5.2 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, mainly hydropower and municipal solid waste and landfill gas.
Pennsylvania possesses minor reserves of crude oil and natural gas. The Susquehanna River and several smaller river basins are ideal for generating hydropower. Between 2001 and 2007, hydroelectricity generation rose by 35.5 percent, accounting for 17.8 percent of all electricity generated in the state; as of 2022, Pennsylvania had about 2,500 megawatts of hydroelectric generating capacity, with the potential to add another 84 megawatts by 2028.
The Appalachian and Allegheny Mountains are great sources for wind power, and high winds can be found onshore and offshore around Lake Erie. Thus, the use of wind energy used in the generation of electricity also expanded during the 2010s and early 2020s. By 2024, the state's twenty-seven wind farms had a capacity of 1,550 megawatts, placing Pennsylvania twenty-first in the United States for wind power. Two of the largest wind farms are North Allegheny Windpower (70 megawatts) and Waymart Wind Farm (64.5 megawatts). In 2007, Montgomery County became the first county in the United States to operate completely on wind energy. By 2022, wind power accounted for 4 percent of all electricity generated in Pennsylvania.
As of 2024, Pennsylvania had four nuclear power plants: Susquehanna, Beaver Valley, Peach Bottom, and Limerick. These plants generate 32 percent of the state’s supply of electricity in 2022. A fifth nuclear plant, Three Mile Island, was the site of the worst nuclear accident in US history in 1979. The plant remained operating until 2019 when it was decommissioned.
Pennsylvania installed its first solar hot water heaters in the 1970s, but the solar energy sector has taken on new life in the twenty-first century. The state Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard required that by 2020, 0.5 percent of all electricity generated in the state will be derived from solar energy; as of 2022, 12 percent of the state's total energy sold came from solar power.
Other sources of renewable energy are concentrated on biomass fuels, cellulosic ethanol, and biogas. The potential for producing ethanol is considerable; studies have predicted that the state has the capacity to grow 825,000 acres of switchgrass, resulting in 250 million to 1 billion gallons of ethanol. Pennsylvania mandates that gasoline be blended with ethanol to reduce air pollution, thus a ready market exists for ethanol production.
In 2004, the Pennsylvania legislature passed the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act, stipulating that 8 percent of all electricity sold within the state must derive from renewable sources such as wind, biomass, and biogas energy, 5 percent from solar energy, and 10 percent from alternative sources such as waste-to-energy and waste coal. Later legislation increased the emphasis on renewable sources of energy. In 2007, the legislature enacted the Pennsylvania Biodiesel Incentive and In-State Production Act to offer incentives for using cellulosic ethanol and biodiesel. The following year, the Alternative Energy Act set aside $650 million in grants, loans, and tax credits to promote clean energy by helping homes and businesses to engage in energy conservation and encourage business investment in alternative energy generation.
In response to the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, all states were required to inform the DOE of their agendas for spending federal funds designated for promoting energy efficiency and affordability and pursuing alternative sources of energy. In 2024, Pennsylvania officials began considering plans to ensure that 35 percent of the state’s energy comes from renewable sources by 2035.
Bibliography
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Bird, Lori, et al. Green Power Marketing in the United States: A Status Report. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 2008.
"Comprehensive Energy Data and Maps." Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, 2024, www.dep.pa.gov/Citizens/Energy/EnergyData/Pages/default.aspx. Accessed 9 Aug. 2024.
"Pennsylvania." US Energy Information Administration, 21 Dec. 2023, www.eia.gov/state/?sid=PA. Accessed 9 Aug. 2024.
"Wind Energy." Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, 2024, www.dep.pa.gov/Business/Energy/Wind/Pages/default.aspx. Accessed 9 Aug. 2024.