America’s Hourly Energy Mix, Explained

The U.S. has a dynamic electricity mix, with a range of energy sources generating electricity at different times of the day. At all times, the amount of electricity generated must match demand in order to keep the power grid in balance, which leads to cyclical patterns in daily and weekly electricity generation.

The graphic below, via Visual Capitalist's Govind Bhutada and Sabrina Lam, tracks hourly changes in U.S. electricity generation over one week, based on data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The Three Types of Power…