The Facts
When we surf the Internet, watch television, play a video game, charge a cell phone or turn on the air conditioner, we are using electricity.
Sometimes, we tend to forget about the role electricity has on our lives. As we live our busy lives, we don’t often stop to think about our need for cheap and reliable power.
Did you know that half of the electricity that heats our homes, lights our schools, and powers our businesses comes from coal ?
Find other facts about our energy supply that you might not know here .
Most states rely heavily on energy from coal. To see your state's electricity portfolio, click on your state.
Each state in the nation produces and consumes a unique mix of energy which impacts their electricity rates. Here are some of the highlights:
Alabama – Alabama gets just 54.2% of its electricity from coal. It ranks at 23rd lowest in terms of average retail price per kilowatt hour.
Alaska – Alaska gets just 9.4% of its electricity from coal, which is one of the reasons why the state has the 7th-highest energy prices in the nation.
Arizona – Arizona gets 36.4% of its electricity from coal. It is the 19th- most expensive state for energy prices.
Arkansas – Arkansas gets 47.2% of its electricity from coal, helping it to be the 13th-cheapest state for energy prices.
California – California gets just 1.1% of its electricity from coal. The state has the 10th-highest energy prices in the nation.
Colorado – Colorado gets 66.7% of its power from coal.
Connecticut – Connecticut, which gets just 11.3% of its power from coal, is the 2nd-most exensive state for electricity.
Delaware – Delaware gets 65.9% of its electricity from coal. There are no nuclear plants in Delaware, meaning coal will continue to be an integral part of the state's electricity mix.
D.C. – Washington D.C. is an anomaly. Although the city relies on power from coal-fired power plants in neighboring jurisdictions, it has none of its own. Washington's only generating station runs on oil. Thus, the city's electricity rates rank 12th highest in the nation.
Florida – Florida gets 30.1% of its power from coal and is the 15th-most expensive state for energy.
Georgia – Coal provides 62.2% of Georgia's electricity.
Hawaii – Hawaii, which gets just 13.7% of its electricity from coal, has the highest energy prices in the nation. Using petroleum to generate power, as Hawaii does, is an expensive way to generate power.
Idaho – Due to its vast hydropower industry, Idaho has the cheapest electricity in the nation. However, most states do not have this option.
Illinois – Coal provides 47.6% of the electricity in Illinois. Natural gas and petroleum combine to produce less than 4% of the total power.
Indiana – Coal provides 94% of Indiana's electricity and helps make it the 8th-cheapest state in the nation for power.
Iowa – Coal provides 76.3% of the Hawkeye state's electricity, more than seven times the next highest energy source.
Kansas – Coal provides 72.3% of the electricity in Kansas.
Kentucky – Kentucky's abundance of coal helps the state have some of the cheapest power in the country. Coal provides 93.1% of Kentucky's electricity.
Louisiana – Coal provides just 24.9% of Louisiana's power. The state has the 23rd-highest electricity prices in the nation.
Maine – Coal provides just 2.3% of Maine's power, and the state has the 5th-highest elecricity prices in the nation.
Maryland – Coal provides 59.2% of Maryland's power. The state has 13th-highest electricity rates in the country.
Massachusetts – Coal provides just 25.5% of the electricity in Massachusetts. The state has the 4th-highest energy prices in the country.
Michigan – Coal provides 59.4% of Michigan's power, which is more than twice as much electricity as any other source.
Minnesota – Coal provides 59.1% of Minnesota's power. The state has the 21st-lowest energy prices in the nation.
Mississippi – Coal provides 34.8% of Mississippi's power. The state has the 24th-highest electricity prices in the nation.
Missouri – Coal provides 82.4% of Missouri's power. The state has the 9th-lowest electricity prices in the country.
Montana – Coal provides 63.4% of Montana's power. The state has the 17th-lowest electricity costs.
Nebraska – Coal provides 60.5% of Nebraska's power. The state enjoys the 4th-lowest electricity prices in the country.
Nevada – Coal provides only 21.7% of Nevada's electricity. The state has the 17th-highest energy prices in the nation.
New Hampshire – Coal provides just 16.9% of New Hampshire's power - and it has the 6th-highest electricity prices in the country.
New Jersey – Coal provides just 16.3% of New Hampshire's power - and it has the 9th-highest electricity prices in the country.
New Mexico – Coal provides 76.7% of New Mexico's power, which is more than four times as much electricity than any other source.
New York – Coal provides just 14.7% of New York's power. The Empire State has the 3rd-highest electricity prices in the nation.
North Carolina – Coal provides 61.5% of North Carolina's power, almost twice as much as any other source.
North Dakota – Coal provides 93.4% of North Dakota's power. The state has the 7th-lowest electricity prices in the country.
Ohio – Coal provides 85.8% of Ohio's power, more than eight times as much as any other source.
Oklahoma – Coal provides 47.3% of Oklahoma's power.
Oregon – Coal provides just 7.9% of Oregon's power. Most of the state's electicity comes from hydro.
Pennsylvania – Coal provides 54.3% of Pennsylvania's power.
Rhode Island – Rhode Island gets almost all of its power from natural gas - and it has the 8th-highest energy costs in the country.
South Carolina – Coal provides 40.2% of South Carolina's power. The state has the 18th-lowest electricity rates in the nation.
South Dakota – Coal provides 43.3% of South Dakota's power. The state has the 12th-lowest prices in the nation.
Tennessee – Coal provides 63.3% of Tennessee's power. The state has the 15th-lowest electricity prices in the country.
Texas – Coal provides only 36.3% of Texas' power. The state has the 16th-highest power costs in the country.
Utah – Coal provides 81.9% of Utah's power. The Beehive State has the 6th-lowest electricity costs in the country.
Vermont – Vermont does not use coal to generate electricity. This is part of the reason why its energy costs are the 11th highest in the nation.
Virginia – Coal provides 45.2% of Virginia's power. The state has the 16th-lowest electricity costs in the country.
Washington – Coal provides just 8% of Washington's power, but the state has a strong hydropower industry. However, most states do not have the option to use high amounts of hydropower.
West Virginia – Coal provides 97.8% of West Virginia's power, helping the state have the 3rd-cheapest electricity prices in the nation.
Wisconsin – Coal provides 63.1% of Wisconsin's power.
Wyoming – Coal provides 94.5% of Wyoming's power, helping the state have the 2nd cheapest electricity in the nation.
Enlighten your understanding of Coal
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