Here is the growth of US energy production since the beginning of the Biden administration:
Note that energy use is seasonal, so comparisons have to be made between the same month in different years. The latest data is for October 2023, so all comparisons are between October 2020 and October 2023.
Biden has allowed an increase in coal?!? …
just guessing, but 2021 was still in the depressed covid period so the recently expanding economy could have led to higher existing coal plant utilization, not that there are 7% more coal fired plants.
Yet another example of the misleading nature of figures on YoY changes in ANYTHING in the years after the epidemic. See also pretty much any economic data.
You do realize we long ago passed Trump's peak oil production.
The US this year produced more oil than any country, ever. It is literally record-setting crude oil production. https://www.forbes.com/sites/gauravsharma/2023/12/19/as-2024-approaches-us-leads-global-crude-oil-production-roster/?sh=4f6661a72706
Whether you think that is a good thing or a bad thing, there is no "misleading nature" to that figure.
All of the increased coal is for export, mostly for steel production. And the base line was fall 2022, long after covid.
That's a good point. Most of the coal produced in the US at this point is being shipped overseas for steel production in places like China and India.
The kicker is that Trump then points whines about how carbon caps are pointless because of all the coal India and China are burning. QED.
And how did nuclear increase?
I'd expect mildly increased dispatch, or possibly addition of the new unit at Plant Vogtle in Georgia. 3.5% is not a big swing, either way.
How about in terms of absolute units like kilowatts or KWHrs?, not percentages?
Yeah, but has Biden canceled all my debt, given me a job as a YouTube influencer, and made Bernie king? No? Well, I won't bother voting for him.
You can use facts to prove anything even remotely true. Facts, schmacts!
> all comparisons are between October 2020 and October 2023
Coal production, at least, was significantly lower in 2020 than 2019, suggesting this datapoint is highly skewed by one odd year.
It's fairly discouraging that none of the fossil fuels' usage has shrunk.
All of these are a bit misleading given the start date 2020 was peak covid shutdowns.
Coal is down 20+% from 2019.
That's more cheerful.
Solar is probably going to slow down now that California has approved NEM3 and a lot of states either have, or are planning, to pass similar surcharges to make rooftop solar much less attractive.
The chart gives a figure of 15% for the total percentage increase but taking the average af the percentages by sector is something in the neighborhood of 26%. So those sector percentages need to be weighted or alse this chart is useless.
You can't average an average (which a percent is) you have to weight the averages by the denominator.