How Green is Your State or Province?
In countries where energy is plentiful, most people don’t think twice before plugging into the grid.
Whether it is for a simple top up for your smartphone battery at the airport or the continuous energy chug of household appliances, it’s easy to take the electricity we use for granted.
But do you know where your electricity comes from – and whether it is green or not?
Drilling Down by State and Province
Today’s maps come from Reddit users Dr_Engineerd and PaulsEggo, who have used data from national energy administration agencies for the U.S. and Canada to show what percentage of electricity generated in each state or province is green.
Let’s start with the map of the United States:
The above map combines electricity generation for all renewable forms of energy (such as solar, wind, geothermal, or hydro) with nuclear, which is considered a sustainable energy source by many experts.
The top five states are as follows:
| Rank | State | % of green energy | Top energy source |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Vermont | 99.6% | Hydro |
| #2 | Washington | 85.5% | Hydro |
| #3 | Idaho | 81.8% | Hydro |
| #4 | New Hampshire | 77.0% | Nuclear |
| #5 | Oregon | 75.1% | Hydro |
Vermont leads the way with an impressive 99.6% mix for electricity generated. Also notable is New Hampshire, which makes the list thanks to its heavy usage of nuclear – the state’s Seabrook nuclear plant (1,244 MW) is the largest individual electrical generating unit on the New England power grid.
Now, here are the bottom five states:
| Rank | State | % of green energy | Top energy source |
|---|---|---|---|
| #47 | Kentucky | 6.9% | Coal |
| #48 | Indiana | 6.2% | Coal |
| #49 | Rhode Island | 4.8% | Natural gas |
| #50 | West Virginia | 4.6% | Coal |
| #51 | Delaware | 1.6% | Natural gas |
West Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana still get the majority of their electricity from coal.
That’s not to say states like Indiana have not been investing in green power – the state actually ranks 12th in the U.S. for wind capacity. It’s just not enough to make a dent in the larger energy mix.
A Look Up North
Finally, here’s a similar look, but this time at Canadian provinces and territories:
Regions like British Columbia, Manitoba, Yukon, Newfoundland, and Quebec are known for their hydro power – all get over 85% of their electricity from hydro alone. Meanwhile, Prince Edward Island gets the vast majority of its power from wind.
On the flipside, the only three provinces or territories below the 20% green threshold are Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Nunavut.
