Every country needs to generate power. While most of us are concerned with how to save money on our electric bill, many developing countries spend their time trying to create enough power for their citizens. These “failed states” that can’t maintain continuous power have to resort to power shortages (i.e. cutting power) in order to save the overall power supply. Even as much as energy is in the news, we bet these are 25 electrifying statistics about energy that will surprise you.
So, how do nations provide power? Generally, national governments have a lot to do with power generation. They have a vested interest in providing power to their people and making sure the power grid reaches all parts of the nation. With global warming and climate change being important topics of debate, and past sources of energy like coal on the way out, countries are switching to more sustainable and renewable sources of energy like water, air, and geothermal energy. The goal is to create a power grid that doesn’t create CO2 and pollute the atmosphere while making it sustainable. These are 25 electrifying statistics about energy that will surprise you!
The amount of energy used by homes in the US for air conditioning constitutes roughly 20% of electricity usage in the country.
Source: washingtonpost.com, Image: wikipedia In Brazil there are jails that allow inmates to pedal bikes that power local villages in exchange for reduced sentences.
Source: usnews.com, Image: wikipedia Sweden is so good at recycling that it has to ask Norway for trash in order to keep their waste-to-power running.
Source: phys.org, Image: wikipedia Nearly one quarter of the electricity in Brazil is generated by a single power plant.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia More than half of Swiss energy comes from hydroelectricity, and the rest from nuclear power which makes its power network almost CO2 free.
Source: wikipedia, Image: freestockphotos.biz Pumped storage hydropower allows for energy to be stored in a clean fashion for long periods of time. Basically, water is pumped up a hill and when it flows back down it generates electricity that will pump it up again.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia None of the Titanic's engineers escaped. They all went down with the ship because they were busy keeping the power on for others.
Source: uco.es, Image: wikipedia The Dinorwig power station in the UK has one job - to provide extra power during commercial brakes when everyone in the country fires up their electric kettles to make tea.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia Nuclear energy today produces less CO2 than solar and geothermal energy. Only wind and water energy are cleaner.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia Iceland produces all its energy from renewable sources. Hydroelectric provides about two thirds and geothermal covers the rest.
Source: decarboni.se, Image: wikipedia About half of the nuclear energy in the United States is derived from old Soviet warheads.
Source: businessinsider.com, Image: wikipedia Norway gets nearly 99% of its energy from hydroelectric power. That is the most of any country on Earth.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia On October 28 2013, wind generated 122% of Denmark's power needs
Source: thecontributor.com, Image: pixabay The Curiosity Rover is powered by a nuclear generator that is barely strong enough to power a ceiling fan
Source: nasa, Image: wikipedia Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors could power all the world's energy needs for an entire year using only 7,000 tons of thorium. That is about 1 football field worth.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia France generates so much nuclear power that it actually exports it.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia In 1963, Quebec nationalized electricity. This led to 96% of Quebec's energy coming from hydroelectric sources. It also has some of the cheapest rates on the continent.
Source: wikipedia, Image: pixabay William Kamkwamba was a teenager in Malawi who learned how to build a windmill from a book in the library. He then went on to build one and provide power to his village.
Source: bbc, Image: pixabay In the 70s, Russia constructed nuclear powered lighthouses along its coast. Currently, two of the generators are missing
Source: barentsobserver.com, Image: pixabay Despite it’s interesting power source, this stunning lighthouse pales in comparison to the beautiful lighthouses that dot the world’s coastlines.
Every single battery on Earth put together would only power the world for about 10 minutes
Source: cnn, Image: pixabay The US Department of Energy is considering using termites as a renewable energy source. They produce nearly 2 liters of hydrogen by simply ingesting a piece of paper which makes them one of the most efficient bioreactors on Earth!
Source: wikipedia, Image: pixabay Since the 70s, nuclear power has prevented nearly 2 million deaths as a result of lower air pollution
Source: nasa, Image: pixabay Coal plants emit about 100 times the amount of radiation (from fly ash) as an equivalent nuclear power plant
Source: scientificamerican.com, Image: wikipedia Swedish ore trains generate 5 times the amount of electricity they use up as they travel down the coast. The extra energy is used to power nearby towns.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia Within a span of 6 hours, Earth's deserts absorb more energy from the sun than all of humanity uses throughout the course of the year.
Source: desertec.org, Image: wikipedia Lists Going Viral Right Now
