Electricity Generation
Within the Electricity Generation segment, Wind was the largest source of U.S. revenue at $13 billion in 2011, followed by Solar at $10.9 billion, and Gas Turbines at $6.1 billion.
Electricity Generation is made up of 10 subsegments: Hydropower, Gas Turbines, Solar, Wind, Geothermal, Marine, Waste, Biomass, Nuclear, and Other Distributed Generation. In 2011, Electricity Generation was the largest advanced energy technology segment by global market size with revenues of $549.3 billion, accounting for 49% of the overall total.
With revenues of $257 billion, Hydropower was the largest subsegment, followed by Solar and Wind at $113.2 billion and $67.1 billion, respectively. Together these three subsegments accounted for nearly 80% of the Electricity Generation segment in 2011. In 2012, the global Electricity Generation segment is expected to decrease to $368.6 billion. The Wind, Other Distributed Generation, and Geothermal subsegments are expected to see a 10%, 49%, and 123% increase in revenue compared to 2011, respectively. All other subsegments are estimated to have declining revenue in 2012. Much of the decline is due to normal cyclicality in several subsegments, especially hydropower, as well as reflecting some limitations in how the data is tracked and analyzed.
In 2011, the U.S. Electricity Generation segment accounted for $32.5 billion in revenue, or 6% of global revenue. The U.S. global market share is estimated to grow to 10% in 2012, as the United States is expected to see a 14% increase in revenue to $37.2 billion, with Wind leading the way (47% growth). Within the Electricity Generation segment in 2011, Wind was the largest source of revenue at $13 billion, followed by Solar at $10.9 billion, and Gas Turbines at $6.1 billion. These same three subsegments are estimated to represent 94% of the U.S. Electricity Generation segment by revenue in 2012, compared to 92% in 2011.
The Electricity Generation segment in the United States had an overall economic impact on 2011 U.S. GDP of $32.5 billion, derived from the domestic content associated with U.S. Electricity Generation segment revenue. This economic activity generated $3.1 billion in federal tax revenue and an additional $1.5 billion in state and local tax revenue. This economic impact does not include the additional economic benefits of exports from the United States to global markets.
Economic Impact
gross domestic product
The Electricity Generation segment contributed $32.5 billion in increased U.S. GDP in 2011.
advanced energy in action
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Secure, Clean, Affordable
Wind is an Advanced Energy Powerhouse
A domestic resource with no emissions and no fuel cost, wind provides a hedge against fossil fuel volatility and risk.
Hydropower
A mature technology that provides secure, renewable, emissions-free baseload power.
Gas Turbines
Gas turbines provide flexible, efficient, affordable power that is perfectly suited to the 21st century grid.
Solar Photovoltaics
With falling prices and booming markets, solar PV generates fuel- and emissions-free electricity on rooftops and in large installations.
Wind Power
Wind power has developed into a mature industry offering cost-competitive electricity at a large scale.
- Overview
- Hydropower
- Gas Turbines
- Solar
- Wind
- Geothermal
- Marine
- Waste
- Biomass
- Nuclear
- Other Distributed Generation
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