Googlization is a neologism that describes the expansion of Google's search technologies and aesthetics into more markets, web applications, and contexts, including traditional institutions such as the library (see Google Books Library Project). The rapid rise of search media, particularly Google, is part of new media history and draws attention to issues of access and to relationships between commercial interests and media.
The term Googlization is not universally accepted as a definition for this phenomenon. According to Harro Haijboer, Googlization seems to be an undisputed term, most of the time the term is taken for fact without critically investigating it.
The
term may be valid in current development but, after a critical look at
the history of search engines, may not be as correctly formulated as one
might think. My main questions are if the term Googlization is correct
in a historical perspective? If Microsoft search engines (MSN, Live Search and Bing) are Googlized? …or if Google is "Microsoftized"? I suspected to find evidence that both search engines (Microsoft
and Google) have had their influence onto each other. There is no way
of saying if Googlization has fully taken place on Microsoft search or
that there has been a form of "Microsoftization" on the part of Google.
In this light the term Googlization seems to be inappropriate and should
be rethought of.
Many information professionals would define the term as "digitizing a library or making something into a Google product".
However, the definition is constantly and rapidly changing.
Googlization can also mean that ever "increasing amounts of accessible
information [are] available on the Internet; Google makes it easy and
convenient to find in one place"; however, Google only makes information
which already exists more accessible, rather than creating new
information.
Development
Since 2000, media scholars have analyzed and are aware of the impact of Googlization to modern human society. Geert Lovink argues against the society's growing dependency on Google search retrieval. Richard A. Rogers points out that Googlization connotes media concentration—an important political economy style critique of Google's taking over of one service after another online; Liz Losh also claims that the Googlization of the BNF has brought considerable public attention in major magazine and newspapers in France.
The Googlization of Everything, a book published in March 2011 by Siva Vaidhyanathan,
provides a critical interpretation of how Google is disrupting culture,
commerce, and community. In Vaidhyanathan's own words "the book will
answer three key questions: What does the world look like through the
lens of Google?; How is Google's ubiquity affecting the production and
dissemination of knowledge?; and how has the corporation altered the
rules and practices that govern other companies, institutions, and
states?" Vaidhyanathan defines Googlization as how, "... since
the search engine first appeared and spread through word of mouth for a
dozen years, Google has permeated our culture. ... Google is used as a noun and a verb everywhere from adolescent conversations to scripts for Sex and the City."
Vaidhyanathan, also has a blog where he documented the development of
the book and any developments or news about Googlization and Google in
general. His basic argument is that we may approve of Google today, but
the company very easily could use our information against us in ways
that are beneficial to its business, not society. Both the book and the
blog are subtitled "How One Company Is Disrupting Culture, Commerce, and
Community… and Why we Should Worry."
Criticisms of googlization
The
founders of Google have encountered hostility to their enterprise
almost since its inception, both in the form of general press criticism
and actual legal action. Various lawsuits have included infringement of
copyright law; its dealings with advertising companies and in the volume
of advertising that its users encounter.
Google has been notorious for its use of PageRank,
an algorithm used by Google Search to rank websites in their search
engine results. PageRank is a way of measuring the importance of website
pages. According to Google:
"PageRank works by counting the number and quality of links to a page to
determine a rough estimate of how important the website is. The
underlying assumption is that more important websites are likely to
receive more links from other websites."
"Despite the pragmatic devotion to the technological virtues of
speed, precision, comprehensiveness, and honesty in computer-generated
results" Google has on occasion imposed human intervention and
judgement, "from within the system, rather than rely on the
slow-changing collective judgement of the users." A prominent example of
this occurred in April 2004, when the first search result, Wikipedia's
entry for "Jew", was replaced with the homepage of an anti-semitic
website called Jew Watch. Google also intervened with the PageRank algorithm when pages denying that the slaughter of 6million Jews occurred during the Second World War were high first-page results for the Google search "Holocaust" or "Jew".
Another controversial event in Google's past occurred in early
February 2010, when Google deleted years worth of archives from six
popular music blogs due to receiving several DMCA notices from music copyright holders alleging that music was being shared illegally.
Despite Google's general market dominance, some of its offshoots and additional projects have been less than successful. Nexus One (direct-to-customer sales) and Google Buzz
(social networking site) all encountered problems when they were first
established, problems which they are still struggling with.
Defense of googlization
Google's corporate mission is "to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful".
Amongst ordinary internet users, Google is viewed fairly favorably as a search tool and as a company in general. About 82percent of Americans expressed a favorable opinion of Google overall, according to one national survey.
In late March 2010, Google discontinued its local domain for
China while continuing to offer their uncensored Hong Kong–based domain.
Google had initially offered a censored version of their search engine
in China. They reversed this decision when they decided that it was in
conflict with their mission and their ideals. Speaking for Google, one
of its founders, Sergey Brin,
said "One of the reasons I am glad we are making this move in China is
that the China situation was really emboldening other countries to try
and implement their own firewalls."
In another interview, Brin said "For us it has always been a discussion
about how we can best fight for openness on the Internet. We believe
that this is the best thing that we can do for preserving the principles
of the openness and freedom of information on the Internet."
When Google went public in 2004, founders Larry Page and Sergey
Brin promised Google would commit to philanthropy by dedicating 1% of
its profit, 1% of its equity, and its employees' time to charitable
effort, including Google.org. Page wrote investors that Google's philanthropy could someday "eclipse Google itself in terms of overall world impact."
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_nationalism Economic nationalism or nationalist economics is an ideology that prioritizes state intervention
in the economy, including policies like domestic control and the use of
tariffs and restrictions on labor, goods, and capital movement. The core belief of economic nationalism is that the economy should serve nationalist goals. As a prominent modern ideology, economic nationalism stands in contrast to economic liberalism and economic socialism.
Economic nationalists oppose globalization and some question the benefits of unrestricted free trade. They favor protectionism and advocate for self-sufficiency.
To economic nationalists, markets are to be subordinate to the state,
and should serve the interests of the state (such as providing national
security and accumulating military power). The doctrine of mercantilism is a prominent variant of economic nationalism. Economic nationalists tend to see international trade as zero-sum, where the goal is to derive relative gains (as opposed to mutual gains).
Economic nationalism tends to emphasize industrialization (and often aids industries with state support), due to beliefs that industry has positive spillover effects
on the rest of the economy, enhances the self-sufficiency and political
autonomy of the country, and is a crucial aspect in building military
power.
History
While the coining of the term "economic patriotism" has been attributed to French parliamentarian Bernard Carayon, there is evidence that the phrase has been in use since earlier times to describe nationalist intervention by the state. In an early instance of its use, speechwriter William Safire in 1985, in defending President Reagan's proposal of the national Strategic Defense Initiativemissile defense
system, wrote, "Our common denominator is nationalism – both a military
and economic patriotism – which inclines us to the side of pervasive
national defense."
In the mid-to-late 1800s, Italian economic thinkers began to
gravitate towards the theories of Friedrich List. Led by Italian
economists like Alessandro Rossi, policies favoring nationalist
protectionism of industries gained momentum. The Italian government had
previously been ignoring Italian industry in favor of trade with France,
and it seemed content to watch other European powers modernize and gain
influence through their colonies.
Various groups began to put pressure on the Italian government, from
textile to ceramic manufacturers, and although the Italian government
imposed tariffs the industrialists felt that it was not enough. The push
for economic nationalism with industrialization and protectionism
quickly spun Italy into an economic crisis in 1887, exposing Italian
industrial woes.
The Austro-Hungarian empire’s ethnic diversity made it an unusual case of the rise of European nationalism. The fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, while mostly caused by the empire's defeat in World War I, was also caused by the lack of economic and political integration between Austrians and Slavs.
Though Hungary relied on Austria economically, as it provided a market
for Hungary's agriculture production, there was a deep social and
economic rift between the Austrians and Slavic people, who actively
boycotted and protested Austrian rule in favor of more autonomy in the
Balkans.
Regions within the empire began using forms of price discrimination to
strengthen national economies. As a result, intra-empire trade began to
fail. Grain prices fluctuated throughout the empire after the 1880s into
World War I, however an ethnic breakdown of the empire showed that grain trade
between two predominantly Austrian territories, or two predominantly
Slavic territories, led to a gradual decrease in grain prices from the
1870s up to World War I.
This was mainly due to the increased presence of railroads in the late
1800s. The only trade pairing that did not observe decreasing grain
prices were two territories of varying nationality. Overall, grain
prices were cheaper, and the price gap was smaller, when the two
territories trading more closely resembled each other ethnically and
linguistically.
At an economic summit in September 1974, one topic of discussion
was the gradual dissolution of economic barriers to the movement of
goods, people and services across borders in the post World War II era. According to William E. Simon, who was United States Treasury Secretary at that time, there was concern that inflation
would motivate economic nationalism: "This has had enormously
beneficial effect; Now, however, there is some danger that inflation may
drive countries in economic nationalism."
Philosophy
The
philosophical foundations of economic nationalism are difficult to
trace due to the ideology's lengthy history and its unique appeal to
different types of groups. The four general pillars come from its
political, cultural, economic, and social roots.
Though details surrounding these four pillars may differ depending on a
nation's status, generally a nation's own status and economic stability
takes precedence over another. During the late-19th and early-20th
century this meant an emphasis on protectionism, increased role of the government, and even colonialism, as it was a means of modifying an occupied country's culture and creed.
In both Germany and Italy, Friedrich List played an influential role in the rise in economic nationalism during the 1800s.
List brought elements of economic theory and national identity
together, as he postulated that an individual's quality of life was in
correlation with the success of their country and was a well-known
proponent of tariffs in the United States. List's ideas on economics and nationalism directly challenged the economic theories of Adam Smith,
as List felt that Smith reduced the role of national identity too much
and favored of a globalized approach which ignored certain complexities
of political life.
Modern examples
As a policy
is a deliberate system of principles to guide decisions and achieve
rational outcomes, the following list of would be examples of an
economic nationalistic policy, where there is consistent and rational
doctrine associated with each individual protectionist measure:
Limits on foreign participation and ownership in Russia's natural
resource sectors and selected Russian industries, beginning in 2008
The reason for a policy of economic protectionism in the cases above
varied from bid to bid. In the case of Mittal's bid for Arcelor, the
primary concerns involved job security
for the Arcelor employees based in France and Luxembourg. The cases of
French Suez and Spanish Endesa involved the desire for respective
European governments to create a 'national champion'
capable of competing at both a European and global level. Both the
French and US government used national security as the reason for
opposing takeovers of Danone, Unocal, and the bid by DP World for 6 US
ports. In none of the examples given above was the original bid deemed
to be against the interests of competition. In many cases the
shareholders supported the foreign bid. For instance in France after the
bid for Suez by Enel was counteracted by the French public energy and
gas company Gaz De France the shareholders of Suez complained and the
unions of Gaz De France were in an uproar because of the privatization
of their jobs.
The modern phenomenon of the European Union has in part led to a recent resurgence of economic nationalism. Western Europe as a whole has become more economically globalized since the end of World War II, embracing economic integration and introducing the euro.
This did lead to positive economic impacts, such as steady wage
increases. However, from the 1990s through the Great Recession, there
has been an increasing distrust in this globalized system. With rising
income inequalities and little protection against natural economic
occurrences, many Europeans have begun to embrace economic nationalism.
This is because modern European nationalists see their nation's economy
becoming generally more globalized at the expense of one's own economic
status.
Globalization, like the type one can observe in the European Union, is
easy to oppose as it creates winners and losers. Those who lose their
jobs due to globalization are more likely to be drawn to parties
espousing economic nationalism.
Although some European nations were impacted differently, nations
that saw an increased exposure to the China trade shock did move
significantly further right politically and generally supported more
nationalist and protectionist policies. Even industries which did not see increased exposure to the China trade shock
generally shifted towards right wing policies. This shows that, while
some voters shifted their political support due to their worsening
economic conditions, many voters shifted to right-wing policy due to a
community-wide reaction from the China trade shock.
Although the shock took place in the 1980s, its economic effects still
impact the European electorate today. In particular, the Brexit vote
showed the impact this shock had on the electorate, as regions which
were most impacted by the China trade shock were still economically weak
(in terms of GDP per capita) in comparison to other regions like
London, even over a decade later. There is a strong positive correlation
in regions most impacted by the China trade shock and an increase in
votes to leave the European Union.
Immigration plays a large part in the policy of modern economic
nationalists. With a considerable influx of immigration, particularly
from parts of eastern Europe and the Middle East, those who gravitate
towards economic nationalism find that their national identity and
culture has been diluted by increased immigration. Although studies have
shown marginal improvements to both native employment and wages when
put in competition with immigrants.
The impact of Europe's move towards a globalized economy has led to the passing of nationalist policies and the support of right-wing populist parties, which generally espouse nationalist and socially conservative views, although there was also a growth in support for left-wing populist parties, such as Podemos in Spain and Syriza in Greece. Such parties have formed governments in a number of European countries, including Poland (Law and Justice), Hungary (Fidesz), and, arguably, the United Kingdom, where the Conservative Party, headed by PM Boris Johnson, has absorbed the vast majority of UKIP's support since Brexit. This is a prominent example of the rise in nationalism and anti-globalization, as Brexit, a result of lengthy campaigns by UKIP and the Eurosceptic faction of the Conservatives for a national referendum, is regarded by many opponents as a manifestation of economic (and social) nationalism, and right-wing populism more broadly. However, the majority of UK opinion polls since Brexit in have shown support for rejoining the EU, or ceasing the Brexit process during the period 2016-2020, in part likely due to the economic impacts of the deal agreed by the EU and UK.
Criticism
One critical view of economic nationalism is that of Harry Binswanger, an American professor and Objectivist author. Writing for Capitalism Magazine,
he argued that consumer preference for local goods gives local
producers monopoly power, affording them the ability to lift prices to
extract greater profits, and firms that produce locally produced goods
can charge a premium for that good. He concluded that consumers who
favor products by local producers may end up being exploited by
profit-maximizing local producers, and that locally produced goods can
attract a premium if consumers show a preference
towards it, so firms have an incentive to pass foreign goods off as
local goods if foreign goods have cheaper costs of production than local
goods. In one example provided by Daniel J. Ikenson for the American libertarian think tank Cato Institute, a protectionist
policy in the United States placed tariffs on foreign cars, giving
local producers (Ford and GM market) market power that allowed them to
raise the price of cars, which he said negatively affected American
consumers who faced fewer choices and higher prices. An old criticism of economic nationalism dating back to the late 1920s is that of American social scientist Raymond Leslie Buell,
who argued that it contributed to competition and warfare between
states as they were motivated to annex territory containing resources,
markets and seaports.
Energy figures are measured in BTU, with 1 BTU equal to 1.055 kJ and 1 quadrillion BTU (1 quad) equal to 1.055 EJ. Because BTU is a unit of heat, sources that generate electricity directly are multiplied by a conversion factor to equate them with sources that use a heat engine.
The United States was the second-largest energy producer and consumer in 2021 after China. The country had a per capita energy consumption of 295 million BTU (311 GJ), ranking it tenth in the world behind Canada, Norway, and several Arabian nations.
Consumption in 2023 was mostly for industry (33%) and transportation
(30%), with use in homes (20%) and commercial buildings (17%) making up
the remainder.
The United States' portion of the electrical grid in North America had a nameplate capacity of 1,280 GW and produced 4,029 TWh in 2023, using 34% of primary energy to do so. The country is the second-largest producer and consumer of electricity, behind China.
Natural gas overtook coal as the dominant source for electric
generation in 2016. Coal was overtaken by nuclear for the first time in
2020 and by renewables in 2023.
History
Per capita energy use by sourceThe percentage of energy use by source
From its founding until the late 19th century, population and energy
use in the United States both increased by about 3% per year, resulting in a relatively constant per capita energy use of 100 million BTU. Wood made up the majority of this until near the end of the 1800s, meaning the average American burned eight tons of wood each year.
The Industrial Revolution in the United States saw an increased use of coal.
By the late 1800s, it surpassed wood as the major source of energy, as
it was cheaper for those living in cities. Lighting, heating and
transportation could all be fueled by coal. Between 1925 and 1975, coal use was more stagnant, although it dominated the growing electricity sector. Petroleum and natural gas took its place, as car ownership doubled in the two decades after the war, and as the number of pipelines rose dramatically.
During the first half of the 20th century, per capita energy use
doubled to 200 million BTU, and reached 300 million BTU by the late 60s.
After a peak of 360 million BTU in 1979, per capita consumption
generally declined, and dipped below 300 million BTU in 2020. In comparison, the world average increased from 68 to 74 million BTU (72 to 78 GJ) per person between 1980 and 2020.
Domestic oil production peaked in 1970 and did not recover for 40 years. However, oil imports allowed consumption to double. Oil represented the vast majority of net imports during this time. Increased reliance on imported oil coincided with the 1973 oil crisis.
Total imports peaked in 2005, when they represented 30% of total
consumption. A consistent decline occurred over the next 15 years, as
oil production doubled and domestic use receded. This allowed the United
States to be a net exporter of energy for the first time in 70 years.
As of 2021, the US net exports 3.9% of energy production.
Around 2010, many other trends began to reverse. By 2020, improvements in fracking had allowed natural gas production to increase by more than half, while coal decreased by half.
Renewables in the 20th century consisted mainly of hydro
and wood. Hydro power had been relatively constant since 1970, while
wood saw a bump in 1980. Between 2000 and 2020, wind, solar and biofuels
increased by a factor of ten. By 2020, wind had surpassed hydro, and
biofuels had surpassed wood.
Summary
US energy consumption by source (2021)
Source
% of source
Nuclear 8%
100% Electricity
Renewable 12%
6.9% Residential 2.6% Commercial 19.6% Industrial 12.3% Transport 58.6% Electricity
Natural gas 32%
15.4% Residential 10.8% Commercial 33.4% Industrial 3.9% Transport 36.5% Electricity
Coal 11%
0.1% Commercial 9.8% Industrial 90.0% Electricity
Petroleum 36%
2.6% Residential 2.4% Commercial 25.0% Industrial 69.3% Transport 0.6% Electricity
5.5% Renewable 4.5% Natural gas 89.8% Petroleum 0.2% Electricity
Primary energy production
US energy production in 2023
The United States is the world's second-largest producer of energy.
It produces 16% of the world's energy, about three-fourths as much as
China.
Since 2019, the country has been a net exporter of energy. In 2023,
102.8 quads were produced and net exports were 7.6% of production.
Fossil fuels
Fossil fuels have long produced most energy in the US, accounting for 84% of total production and 60% of electric generation as of 2023. Although costs for some fossil fuels are declining, renewables are becoming cheaper faster. Despite this, use of fossil fuels has remained near 80% for the past 30 years.
The vast majority of carbon emissions in the US came from fossil fuels. The largest sources for carbon pollution from energy were petroleum (46%), natural gas (35%) and coal (19%),
and of petroleum, motor gasoline (21%) and diesel (12%) were the
largest contributors. As gas has been replacing coal, emissions from the
two combined have declined from a peak in 2008, down 25% as of 2021.
During the same time frame, petroleum declined by only 17%.
Coal made up 11% of production in 2021, 90% of which went to producing electricity. Coal electrified
rapidly throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s and half of annual electricity
was from coal until the 2010s. Coal peaked in 2006, when it represented a
third of total energy production. During the 2010s it underwent a
steady decline, mostly being replaced by natural gas. In contrast, net
exports have remained near 2 quads in the same time period, but this now
amounts to 17% of total production.
The decline of coal has many factors, including the
aforementioned rise of natural gas, the closing of old plants, and
environmental regulations. Coal supply has not become an issue, as the US has the largest coal reserve in the world, 40% larger than Russia.
US natural gas production, imports, and exportsNatural gas production by field
Dry natural gas was 36% of production in 2021, making it the largest source of energy in the US. It is also the largest electricity source, making up 38% of generation.
Natural gas surpassed coal for production in 2011 and for generation in
2016. Between 2006 and 2022, the US has gone from net importing 4 quads
of natural gas to exporting 4 quads.
The United States has been the world's largest producer of natural gas since 2011, when it surpassed Russia. However, the US ranks 7th in proven reserves. Differences in supply explain why gas is cheaper in the US than it is in Europe.
Natural gas liquids
are liquid hydrocarbons obtained from natural gas fields. Production
has tripled from 2000 to 2022, now making up 9% of fossil fuels. The US leads the world in NGL production, ahead of Saudi Arabia.
During the 2023-24 winter heating season in the United States,
natural gas inventories ended at 2,290 billion cubic feet (Bcf), 39%
above the five-year average, due to mild weather resulting in reduced
consumption. Withdrawals from storage were approximately 1,500 Bcf,
lower than the usual 2,000 Bcf. By March 2024, the Henry Hub
spot price had decreased to $1.50 per million British thermal units
(MMBtu), significantly below the forecasted $3.10/MMBtu, with
expectations of prices staying below $2.00/MMBtu until the second half
of 2024, averaging $2.20/MMBtu for the year.
Crude oil made up 24% of production in 2021.
Oil has more than doubled from a slump in the early 2000s, even
surpassing its previous peak in 1970. Imports have declined during the
same time period, but the US still net imports 20% of consumption.
The US has been the largest producer of crude oil since 2018, ahead of Saudi Arabia. Texas produces far more oil than any other state.
The US generated 772 TWh of nuclear power in 2022, surpassing China (395 TWh) and France
(282 TWh). However, nuclear power constitutes a much smaller percentage
of total power generation (18%) when compared to France (63%).
Nuclear had significant growth from the 70s through the 90s, but has stagnated since. A cessation of new nuclear plant construction coincided with the accident at Three Mile Island. Future growth may come from smaller reactors.
Renewable energy in the United States accounted for 12.5% of the total production in 2021, and 20.7% of electric generation.
The category has seen rapid growth, doubling in total output between
2000 and 2020. They have exceeded nuclear since 2011 and surpassed coal
in 2020 for the first time since wood fuel fell out of use.
Biomass made up 5% of total production and 38% of renewables in 2022. About 49% of this was biofuels, 43% was wood, and 8% was waste and other biomass.
Ethanol made up the majority of biofuels in 2022, while biodiesel
and renewable diesel made up about 16%. For ethanol, about 40% of the
available energy is lost or diverted to co-products during the
manufacturing process, and the equivalent of 20% is used to power and run the equipment. About 45% of domestic corn output goes toward producing ethanol. The US led the world in ethanol production in 2021, producing more than half of the total. The US is a net exporter of biofuels.
Use of biofuels increased by a factor of 10 between 2000 and 2020, eventually exceeding wood. The desire for ethanol originated from the need to replace methyl tert-butyl ether, which was contaminating groundwater. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 mandated an increased use of ethanol. Most gasoline sold in the US contains up to 10% ethanol.
Industry uses two-thirds of the wood fuel in the US, while the residential sector uses about a quarter. Wood and paper factories use wood waste on-site to reduce their energy costs. About 9% of homes used firewood in 2020.
Wood made up the majority of energy consumption until near the
end of the 1800s, after which it declined in total use for several
decades, to about half its peak. The 80s saw the first significant increase in over a century, of about 65%, before declining again by the 2010s.
Two-thirds of the geothermal energy in the US in 2021 was electric, with the remainder being direct use and heat pumps. Geothermal power made up 2% of renewable generation, 70% of which came from California. The Geysers is the largest complex of geothermal energy production in the world. The US ranks first in geothermal capacity, ahead of Indonesia and the Philippines.
Hydro made up 6% of electric generation and 29% of renewable generation in 2021. Three states made up over half of the total: Washington (29%), New York (12%) and Oregon (11%). Overall 246 TWh were generated across 1,449 conventional plants and 40 pumped storage plants.
As of 2021, the US was fourth in the world in total hydroelectric
generation behind Canada and Brazil, each generating over 350 TWh. China
produced the most, with an estimated 1,300 TWh.
Hydro has been used in the US since 1880 when it powered the Wolverine Chair factory in Grand Rapids, Michigan. By 1950, 29% of total electricity production came from hydro, as it produced 96 TWh.
Hydro generation had tripled by the 70s, but has not consistently grown
since. Hydro has had large flucuations from year to year: for example
in 2010, generation jumped from 253 to 311 TWh the next year, before
dropping to 269 TWh the year after that. While hydro has maintained
generation in the 200 to 350 TWh range for the past few decades, its
share of the total has declined as other sources have risen. Since 2019,
wind power has exceeded hydro as the largest renewable electricity
source.
At 132 years old, the plant in Whiting, Wisconsin is the oldest power plant still running in the US. The Grand Coulee Dam is the largest plant for hydro and in general in the US, and the fifth-largest hydro plant in the world. Built in Washington in 1942, it continues to operate with a capacity of 6,765 MW. The Bath County Pumped Storage Station is the second-largest such facility in the world, with a capacity of 3,003 MW.
Solar
made up 4% of electric generation and 19% of renewable generation in
2021. Of the 164 TWh generated, 70% was by utilities and an estimated
30% was small-scale such as rooftop solar. Three states made up over half of total grid generation: California (30%), Texas (13%) and North Carolina (9%). In 2021, the US grid produced the second most solar power in the world, behind China's 328 GWh.
Wind made up 9% of electric generation and 44% of renewable generation in 2021. Four states made up over half of the total: Texas (26%), Iowa (10%), California (9%) and Kansas (7%). The US grid produces significantly more wind power than Germany or India, but less than half of China.
An example of each consumption sector: a refinery, a house, a car and an office
Industry has long been the country's largest energy sector.
It used 33% of total energy in 2021, most of which was divided evenly
between natural gas, electricity and petroleum. A survey from 2018
estimated that the largest energy users were the chemical industry (30%), petroleum and coal processing (18%), mining (9%) and paper (9%).
The most energy-intensive industry was by far petroleum and coal,
at over 30 billion BTU per employee. The paper industry was second at
6.5 billion BTU per employee. Each of these handles energy sources as
part of their raw materials (fossil fuels and wood).
The same survey found that half of the electric use was to drive
machines and about 10% each for heating, cooling and electro-chemical
processes. Most of the remainder was for factory lighting and HVAC. About half of the natural gas was for process heating, and most of the rest was for boilers.
Transportation
used 28% of energy, almost all of which was petroleum and other fuels.
Half of the combustible fuels that make up the transportation sector
were gasoline, and half of the vehicle usage was for cars and small trucks. Diesel and heavier trucks each made up about a quarter of their respective categories; jet fuel and aircraft were about a tenth each. Biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel made up 5%, while natural gas was 4%. Electricity from mass transit
was 0.2%; electricity for light passenger vehicles is counted in other
sectors, but figures from the US Department of Energy estimate that 2.1
million electric vehicles used 6.1 TWh to travel 19 billion miles,
indicating an average fuel efficiency of 3.1 miles per kWh.
Over two-thirds of the energy used by homes, offices, and other commercial businesses is electric, including electric losses. Most of the energy used in homes was for space heating (34%) and water heating (19%), much more than the amount used for space cooling (16%) and refrigeration (7%). Businesses use similar percentages for space cooling and refrigeration. They use less for space and water heating but more for lighting and cooking.
Most homes in the US are single-family detached, which on average use almost triple the energy of apartments in larger buildings.
However, single family households have 50% more persons and triple the
floor space. Usage per square foot of living space is roughly equal for
most housing types except small apartment buildings and mobile homes. Small apartments are more likely to be older than other housing types, while mobile homes tend to have poor insulation.
Regional variation
The state with the lowest per capita energy use is Rhode Island, at 161 million BTU per year, and the highest is Louisiana, at 908 million BTU per year. Energy use and prices often have an inverse relationship; Hawaii uses some of the least energy per capita but pays the highest price on average, while Louisiana pays the least on average.
Residential prices follow a similar trend, but the differences
between states are usually less drastic. The exception is Hawaii, which
pays 84 cents per million BTU, more than double the next largest state
of Florida, which pays 33 cents.
Household energy use varies by home type and by region. Although single-family detached homes are less common in the Northeast, the average house there uses 60% more energy than one in the West.
Some of the regional differences can be explained by climate, as
two-thirds of northeastern homes are in cold regions, while less than a
third of western homes are.
Overall use per capita
Home use per capita
Overall price per million BTU
Home price per million BTU
The land-use decisions of cities and towns also explain some of the regional differences in energy use. Townhouses
are more energy efficient than single-family homes because less heat,
for example, is used per person. Similarly, areas with more homes in a
compact neighborhood encourage walking, biking and transit, thereby
reducing transportation energy use. A 2011 U.S. EPA study found that
multi-family homes in urban neighborhoods, with well-insulated buildings
and fuel-efficient cars, use less than two-thirds of the energy used by
conventionally built single-family houses in suburban areas (with
standard cars).
United States power stations by type and nameplate capacityGeneration by source
The United States is the world's second-largest producer and consumer
of electricity. It generates 15% of the world's electricity supply,
about half as much as China.
The United States produced 3,988 TWh in 2021. Total generation
has been flat since 2010. Net electricity imports were 39 TWh, or about
1% of sales. Historically, net imports have been between just under 0%
to just over 1.5%.
Fossil fuels
made up the majority of generation, with natural gas providing 38% and
coal 23%. Petroleum provided less than 1%. Natural gas as a proportion
of fossil fuels has been increasing since the 90's, with coal peaking
around 2008 and natural gas becoming the top fossil fuel in 2016.
Nuclear provided 20%, a level consistent since about 1990.
Nuclear surpassed coal in 2020 for the first time, as coal dipped to its
lowest proportion in over 70 years.
Among renewables, wind and solar continued to expand, with wind
exceeding hydro since 2019. Renewable use has doubled from 2010 to 2020,
reaching 21% of total generation.
The United States had a nameplate generation capacity of 1,213 GW in 2021.
The following table summarizes the electrical energy generated by fuel
source for the United States grid in 2021. Figures account for
generation losses, but not transmission losses. Fission had the highest capacity factor, while petroleum had the lowest.
The US grid first connected East and West in 1967. There are over 7,300 power plants and almost 160,000 miles of high voltage lines.
US electric grid capacity and generation in 2021
Source
Capacity (GW)
Generation (TWh)
Capacity factor
Total
1,213
3,988
37%
Natural gas
559.3
1480.1
30%
Coal
228.0
892.3
45%
Nuclear
100.0
778.2
89%
Wind
133.5
377.9
32%
Hydro
80.0
245.3
35%
Solar
61.9
114.5
21%
Petroleum
32.5
18.3
6%
Biomass
14.1
26.7
22%
Geothermal
3.9
15.5
45%
Generation by state
Generation by state and source
The following figures offer detail into the sources of generation used in each state.
Most often, natural gas is the largest source in a given state, with 22
states using it more than any other. Among renewable sources, 18 states
use wind power more than any other.
Though not always the most prominent source, each state will use
at least one source at a rate above the national average. Twelve states
use nuclear power more than average, and California and Hawaii each use
more solar and petroleum, respectively.
Texas contributes more to the grid than any other state, followed
by Florida, Pennsylvania and California. On net, Pennsylvania exports
the most power, while California imports the most.
Largest generation source
Largest renewable generation source
Most over-represented source
Net electricity imports/exports
Electric consumption
Home electrification
Electric grid consumption
in the US was 3,806 TWh in 2021. Since 2010, total consumption has
remained within 2% of this figure. Per capita consumption was 11.5 MWh
in 2021, down 8% from its peak in 2007.
Residential customers used 39% of total electricity. Each month, the average customer used 886 kWh and paid $121 at an average rate of 13.7 cents/kWh. The commercial sector used 35% and industrial used 26%. Transportation used less than half of one percent.
System loss within the grid includes use in the generation
process and transmission losses, as well as unaccounted loads. For 2021,
this amounted to 203 TWh, or 5.3% of grid generation. Electricity used
directly at the commercial or industrial level added 139 TWh, so total
consumption was 3,945 TWh.
The northeastern US has long paid the highest electricity prices, while simultaneously using it the least per capita. California
is an outlier in the west region; its neighbors tend to pay some of the
lowest rates in the country, while California is second only to Hawaii and Alaska.
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