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Steam rising from the cooling towers of the John Amos power plant on the Kanawha River in West Virginia

Updated

How much wasted energy the US produces, and where it goes

See how much wasted energy the US produces each year, where it goes by sector, and what current LLNL, EIA and DOE numbers say is cutting it.
The carbon capture unit at Boundary Dam Unit 3, a coal plant in Saskatchewan

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How much CO2 carbon capture and storage actually captures

Carbon capture and storage runs 77 projects worldwide today, but flagship coal retrofits Petra Nova and Boundary Dam both missed their own capture targets.
An oil pump jack in a field near Iago, Texas

Updated

Why oil prices swing so much, and how much OPEC still controls

A look at oil price history shows crude swinging from $147 a barrel to negative prices, while OPEC's own share of the market keeps shrinking.
Loaded coal trains near the North Antelope Rochelle Mine in Wyoming

Updated

Why US coal power keeps declining

US coal plant closures slowed to their weakest pace since 2010 in 2025, but coal's grid share and mining jobs kept on shrinking anyway, EIA data show.
Solar panels on the roofs of homes

Updated

How net metering works

See how net metering works in 2026, why California traded it for a new billing tariff, and how feed-in tariffs and solar leases stack up against it.
The Syncrude oil sands mining and upgrading works at Mildred Lake, Alberta

Updated

What happened to Keystone XL and Canada’s oil sands

TC Energy cancelled the Keystone XL pipeline in 2021, and Canada's oil sands kept growing anyway. See what's driving new pipeline plans for 2026.
Rows of wind turbines in a desert wind farm under a clear sky

Updated

What capacity factor is, and why it differs so much by energy source

Capacity factor is a power plant's real output as a share of its maximum. US nuclear plants run above 92%, and utility-scale solar about 23%.
A natural gas flare burning at an oil production platform

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How much methane leaks from US oil and gas

US oil and gas methane leaks run at least 13 million tons a year by EDF's count, about 60% above the EPA estimate. See what that means for gas vs coal.
Main entrance of the EPA headquarters in the William Jefferson Clinton Building in Washington, DC

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What happened to the EPA’s Clean Power Plan

The Clean Power Plan set a 32% emissions target for 2030, but courts stalled it before EPA repealed it, and federal power plant carbon rules keep changing.
A crude oil tanker docked at Port Arthur, Texas

Updated

Is the US energy independent in 2026?

Is US energy independence real in 2026? The US posts record oil output and net energy exports, yet crude imports still run 6.2 million barrels a day.