Annual Electric Power Consumption: 143.5 TWh (4 percent total U.S.) 51,800 MSTN coal (6 percent total U.S.) 642 Bcf Natural Gas (3 percent total U.S.) 108,800 Mbarrels of motor gasoline (4 percent total U.S.) 45,000 Mbarrels of distillate fuel (3 percent total U.S.)
How much energy does a city consume in a single day?
On a daily basis, New York City consumes 11, 000 Megawatt-hours of electricity. One megawatt is equal to the amount of energy required to power 100 households! 1 Megawatt equals 1,000 KiloWatts, or 1,000,000 Watts. So, given that New York consumes 11 billion watt-hours per day, solarize those rooftops!
Which city in the United States consumes the most electricity?
Electricity consumption varies greatly between cities in the United States. Miami had the highest average monthly electricity usage in 2017, averaging 1,125 kilowatt hours. With only 261 kilowatt hours, San Francisco achieved the lowest average usage.
In Chicago, how much does electricity cost?
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, gasoline prices in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area averaged $4.546 per gallon in April 2022. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer stated that petrol prices in the area have increased by $1.474 since April 2021, when they averaged $3.072 per gallon. In April 2022, consumers in the Chicago region paid an average of 15.7 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh), up from 14.3 cents per kilowatt-hour in April 2021. The average cost of utility (piped) gas in April was $1.256 per therm, up from $1.037 cents per therm a year ago. (Because the data in this release is not seasonally adjusted, it is analyzed over the course of the year.)
In April 2022, Chicago households paid $4.546 per gallon for gasoline, which was 17.7 cents higher than the national average of $4.369. In April of the past four years (2018-2021), gasoline prices in the Chicago region were up to 17.2 cents per gallon higher than the national average. (See Figure 1.)
What are the methods used to generate electricity in Chicago?
Illinois has plenty of energy. Illinois’ electrical generation mix is unique. As of March 2019, the state’s net energy generation was made up of 7% natural gas, 30% coal-fired, 54% nuclear (the most in the country), and 10% renewables.
How does Illinois get the majority of its power?
Illinois is the third-largest net electricity supplier to other states, transferring nearly one-fifth of the power it generates across state boundaries.
27,28 Illinois is served by two regional grid systems: the PJM Interconnection and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO). 29 The PJM Interconnection is a regional transmission organization that oversees the transfer of wholesale energy between the northern part of the state and the Mid-Atlantic region, including the major urban regions around Chicago. 30,31 MISO is in charge of the balance of the state’s energy supply, as well as much of the country’s middle, from Louisiana to Canada. 32,33
Illinois generates more electricity from nuclear power than any other state, accounting for one-eighth of all nuclear power generation in the United States.
34,35 The state’s six nuclear power stations, which have a total of 11 reactors, will generate 58 percent of the state’s energy net generation in 2020. 36,37 The nuclear facilities are all among the state’s top ten power plants in terms of energy generation, and five of the six are among the top ten in terms of capacity. 38 Two nuclear power reactors, the Clinton and Quad Cities nuclear plants, were set to close in 2017 and 2018 due to economic concerns in the electricity market, but the Illinois legislature approved financial incentives in late 2016 to keep the plants open for another decade. 39,40,41,42,43
For the past decade, coal-fired power facilities have been Illinois’ second-largest electricity providers.
44 However, coal’s contribution to in-state generation has decreased dramatically, from 48 percent in 2008 to 18 percent in 2020, due to the closure of 44 coal-fired generating units since 2007. Others are under consideration for closure as a result of tighter pollution restrictions and economic pressures. 45,46,47 In 2020, natural gas-fired power accounted for about 14% of the state’s energy net generation, a five-fold increase over 2010. The rest of the state’s net generation comes almost entirely from wind energy. 48,49
The majority of Midwest households use air conditioning, yet only one in every six Illinois households uses electricity to heat their homes.
50,51 Electricity retail sales in Illinois are fairly consistent among end-use industries. The industrial sector accounts for the remaining 30% of the state’s power retail sales, while the commercial and residential sectors each account for 35%. 52,53
Why are there so many nuclear reactors in Illinois?
Todd Snitchler oversimplifies how competitive power markets work in his recent column (“Exelon affair underlines need for more competition,” Aug. 19). A competitive energy market is important for keeping rates low, but without safeguards, it may be a huge impediment to the transition to a clean energy economy, which Illinois people have correctly identified as a top priority in the fight against climate change.
In practice, zero-carbon sources are frequently forced to compete with inexpensive fossil fuels on an uneven playing field. Nuclear power, for example, is the backbone of Illinois’ carbon-free energy generation, accounting for 88 percent of the state’s carbon-free electricity. If Illinois’ six nuclear power stations are forced to close, fossil fuel plants will be built in their stead, resulting in a huge rise in damaging carbon and particle emissions. Because many of these facilities are located in minority and minority-serving neighborhoods, this rise in emissions would have a direct impact on air quality throughout Illinois and the Midwest, disproportionately impacting minorities and communities of color.
Demand
- Despite having fewer than 5% of the world’s population, the United States consumes about 16% of global energy and accounts for 15% of global GDP. In comparison, the European Union has 6% of the global population, uses 4.2 percent of its energy, and accounts for 15% of its GDP, whereas China has 18% of the global population, consumes 20% of its energy, and accounts for 16% of its GDP. 6,7
- Each day, the United States consumes 2.3 gallons of oil, 7.89 pounds of coal, and 252 cubic feet of natural gas per person.
- 5,6
- Electricity use in the home is 12.1 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per person per day.
- 5,6
How many kWh do you use on a daily basis?
How many kWh does a house use each day is a typical question. The quantity of kWh you use is determined by the following factors:
The average annual energy use for a U.S. residential home customer in 2017 was 10,399 kilowatt hours (kWh), or 867 kWh per month, according to the EIA. This translates to 28.9 kWh per day (867 kWh / 30 days) for the average household electricity consumption.
- In Texas, the average annual household power use is 14,112 kWh. This is a 36 percent increase over the national average.
How much energy does a city consume?
Cities play a significant role in climate change. Cities consume 78 percent of the world’s energy and emit more than 60 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, according to UN Habitat. Despite this, they make up less than 2% of the Earth’s surface.
Because of the sheer number of people who rely on fossil fuels, metropolitan populations are particularly exposed to the effects of climate change. The situation is exacerbated by the lack of green spaces. Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to the IPCC assessment, would be beneficial “energy, land, urban and infrastructure (including transportation and buildings), and industrial sectors require quick and far-reaching reforms.”
Another difficulty is the UN report’s prediction that by 2050, another 2.5 billion people would live in cities, with roughly 90% of them in Asia and Africa. The good news is that cities all over the world have already begun to implement laws that stimulate the use of alternative energy sources and minimize greenhouse gas emissions. Climatic change efforts by policymakers and administrators, on the other hand, will need to pick up speed to keep up with population increase and rapid climate change.
Climate change has a greater impact on poor and low-income communities, in part because many of them live on the margins of society, in unstable structures, and in areas more vulnerable to flooding, landslides, and earthquakes, but also due to insufficient capacities, resources, and access to emergency response systems. In developing countries, this is even more pronounced.
UN-Habitat, UNEP, the World Bank, and Cities Alliance have established the Joint Work Programme to assist cities in developing countries in mainstreaming environmental issues into urban policies to address the issue of climate change in cities.
The Communities and Climate Change Initiative (CCCI) of UN-Habitat helped people in Jamaica comprehend climate change “Long-term planning as a tool for climate-friendly cities.” The program has encouraged communication within the community through collaborations with local administrations and activists, allowing residents to learn about climate-resilient activities.
Pollution, which is most commonly associated with metropolitan settings, is also linked to climate change. The use of fossil fuels, which increases CO2 emissions, the source of global warming, exacerbates both climate change and air pollution.
In a report released in October 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that 93 percent of the world’s youngsters are exposed to harmful air on a daily basis. According to the report, 1.8 billion youngsters are exposed to air that is so dirty that it jeopardizes their health and development. According to the World Health Organization, 600,000 children died in 2016 from acute lower respiratory illnesses caused by contaminated air. The research emphasizes that “More than 40% of the world’s population, including 1 billion children under the age of 15, is exposed to high levels of household air pollution, primarily due to the use of polluting technology and fuels in cooking.” Women in poor nations commonly use coal and biomass fuels for cooking and heating, exposing themselves and their children to the harmful consequences of household pollution.
To enhance the quality of air in homes, WHO promotes and supports the adoption of measures to decrease air pollution, such as better waste management, the use of clean technologies and fuels for household cooking, heating, and lighting.
One of the purposes of the UN Environment’s Share the Road Program, which encourages walking and cycling, is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. The agency sponsored a multi-award-winning bike-sharing program in Hangzhou, China, that began as a public transportation system but ended up reducing traffic congestion and substantially improving air quality. “Hangzhou is an excellent example of how cities can use initiatives like bike sharing to encourage people to get out of their automobiles and cut pollution,” said Rob de Jong, UN Environment’s Air Quality and Mobility Unit Head. UN Environment is a partner in the worldwide Breathe Life campaign, working with the WHO and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to organize cities and inspire citizens to safeguard the planet from the effects of air pollution.
