We know that it’s always fun to be the smartest guy in the room. That’s why we’re sharing these random electricity facts and interesting trivia for the curious mind on electricity. When you win that next trivia tournament,
you’ll thank us. Here we share the first 25 facts, visit RandomHistory.com for the other 25!
1. Only 10% of energy in a light bulb is used to create light. Ninety percent of a light bulb’s energy creates heat. Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), on the other hand, use about 80% less electricity than conventional bulbs and last up to 12 times as long.
2. Refrigerators in the U.S. consume about the same energy as 25 large power plants produce each year.
3. There are two basic groups of energy: renewable energy (biomass, geothermal, solar, water, and wind power) and nonrenewable (fossil fuels coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear). Three quarters of the world’s energy is generated by burning fossil fuels.
4. Enough sunlight reaches the earth’s surface each minute to satisfy the world’s energy demands—for an entire year.
5. The amount of energy Americans use doubles every 20 years.
6. From 2008 to 2030, world energy consumption is expected to increase more than 55%
7. About 5,000 years ago, the energy people consumed for their survival averaged about 12,000 kilocalories per person each day. In AD 1400, each person was consuming about twice as much energy (26,000 kilocalories).
After the Industrial Revolution, the demand almost tripled to an average of 77,000 kilocalories per person in 1875. By 1975, it had tripled again to 230,000 kilocalories per person.
8. The world’s biggest blackout occurred on August 14, 2004, when a massive power outage occurred across the northeastern U.S. and throughout Ontario, Canada, affecting 50 million people.
9. Google accounts for roughly 0.013% of the world’s energy use. It uses enough energy to continuously power 200,000 homes.
10. According to Google, the energy it takes to conduct 100 searches on its site is equivalent to a 60-watt light bulb burning for 28 minutes. Google uses about 0.0003 kWh of energy to answer the avenge search query, which translates into about 0.2 g of carbon dioxide released.
11. The United States produces half of its electricity from coal. China uses coal to generate more than three-fourths of its electricity. Australia, Poland, and South Africa produce an even greater percentage. Overall, coal makes up 2/5 of the world’s electricity generation.
12. Ten countries produce 2/3 of the world’s oil and hold the same percentage of known reserves. Saudi Arabia tops both lists.
13. Ten countries produce 2/3 of the world’s natural gas and hold about the same percentage of known reserves.
14. The United States produces more nuclear-generated electricity than any other country, nearly 1/3 of the world’s total. The second largest producer is France, which generates more than 3/4 of its electricity in nuclear reactors.
15. The most powerful hydroelectric project in the world is China’s Three Gorges Dam. The controversial and enormous power plant brings power to millions of Chinese villagers and will generate more than 22,000 megawatts from six generators.
16. In 2007, wind produced 1.3% of the electricity in the world. The world’s largest wind farm is the Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center near Abilene, Texas. Covering 92 square miles, the center has more than 400 turbines that are 262 feet tall. They produce 735 megawatts of electricity.
17. Approximately 30% of energy used in buildings is used inefficiently or unnecessarily.
18. Over 86% of the energy used in the U.S. each year is from the combustion of fossil fuels.
19. Some researchers suggest that if developers had to prepay 50 years’ worth of utility bills, they would construct buildings differently.
20. Cooling and heating costs make up approximately 1/2 of an average U.S. home’s total energy bill.
21. On average, one pool pump consumes electricity equal to 44% of the annual electricity consumption of a typical California household. There are over 7 million pools in America.
22. In the last 50 years, atmospheric CO2 has shot up to levels unprecedented in the previous 400,000 years. The man-made injection of CO2 into the atmosphere is primarily from the burning of fossil fuels.
23. American hospitals are some of the most energy-intense buildings on the planet.
24. Electric utilities are the largest source of greenhouse gas in America.
25. In 2008, the Wall Street Journal reported that transportation fuel consumption in the U.S. would grow from 150 billion gallons annually in 2020 to over 250 billion gallons by the middle of this century. Researchers hypothesize that we would have to export trillions of dollars to oil producing countries, which would compromise our currency,
our economy, and our environment.
Don’t forget to visit RandomHistory.com for the other 25 amazing electric facts!
B W Electric has been serving the Southern Illinois area for over 10 years. Our reliable technicians strive to provide the best experience possible for our customers on every service call weither it be electrical or underground locating needs. B W Electric is Southern Illinois Electrician of choice. Please contact us with any electrical needs you may have. Reach out to us at 618-534-5221 or email us at team@bwelectric.co.
