Power Almanac of the American Midwest

The Midwest is home to a wealth of fossil fuel and renewable resources, which vary considerably by state. How those resources are deployed will impact the region’s economy, landscape, environment, and public health. The Power Almanac is designed to allow the user to flexibly and dynamically explore the region’s electric resources, opportunities, and challenges. Zoom in to an individual coal mine or power plant, or zoom out to compare wind and solar resources in the Midwest to the rest of the United States.

To get started, click on “Map” or “Begin Exploring.” Explore specific energy resources or emissions by making a selection from our menu of options. Relevant map data, key questions, and facts and figures related to your selection will appear on the right side of the screen. Scroll through relevant charts in the panel at the bottom of the map. Click for additional notes and explanations.

Click on “Key Questions” to learn more about the Midwest’s energy resources and emissions. The “References & Data” tab contains detailed information on the original data sources and methods used.

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About the World Resources Institute and Great Plains Institute

The World Resources Institute is a global environmental think tank that goes beyond research to put ideas into action. We work with governments, companies, and civil society to build solutions to urgent environmental challenges. WRI’s transformative ideas protect the earth and promote development because sustainability is essential to meeting human needs and fulfilling human aspirations in the future.

As a non-partisan, non-profit organization, the Great Plains Institute takes a pragmatic approach to transforming the way we produce, distribute, and consume energy to be both environmentally and economically sustainable. Through research and analysis, consensus policy development, and technology acceleration, we are leading the transition to clean, efficient, and secure energy.

Loading Almanac

Examine generation, fuel source, age, and other characteristics of existing power plants in the Midwest.Explore Power Plants ▶

Power Plants

Assess wind and solar resource potential in the Midwest and learn about how the region is currently capturing these resources for power generation.Explore Solar | Wind ▶

Renewable Resources

Examine the Midwest’s production and consumption of coal and natural gas for power generation, as well as estimates of fossil reserves in the region.Explore Coal | Natural Gas ▶

Fossil Resources

Assess the Midwest’s emissions from the power sector and learn about the policies in place to regulate those emissions.Explore CO₂ | Hg | NO_x | SO₂ ▶

Emissions

Explore map by:

State

Energy Source

Emissions

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Browse the list to the right to see answers to important questions regarding power sources, emissions, energy policies, and more.

Click on a heading to see answers to questions in that category.

Click on images to see a larger version.

Print open questions

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Browse the list to the right to see references and descriptions for all of the data shown in this tool, including geographical data, charts, facility locations, and more.

Click on a heading to see information on data in that category.

Print open references

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Browse the list to the right to see answers to frequently asked questions about how to use the Power Almanac and the content it contains.

Click on a heading to see help information on that part of the site.

If you have a question that is not listed here, please let us know.

General ▼

How often will the Almanac be updated?

The Power Almanac is a work in progress, and we have already identified additional data and functionality that we are excited to provide to our users in the future. We will also revise the existing content on the site as new information or updated versions of the data we use become available. Check back regularly for updates.

How do I print or save a part of the Almanac?

Many parts of the Power Almanac are printable or can be saved by using the "Print to PDF" function available on many computers. For best results when saving or printing the map, use the printer icons that you see on the Map, Key Questions, and References & Data pages. Remember, you may want to adjust your default print settings to improve the final result – maps, for example, print best in landscape orientation.

How can I share a suggestion for an improvement to the Power Almanac?

We look forward to hearing your thoughts and suggestions for the Power Almanac. Share them by sending us an email.

Map ▼

Why does the Almanac focus on certain power sources?

The power plant snapshot depicted when you select "All Sources" shows all power plants in the region greater than 25 MW regardless of their fuel type (the filtering options allow you to view all power plants down to 1 MW – see the next question for more information). Additional information can be found on the coal, combined heat and power, natural gas, solar, and wind resources in the region. Over time we intend to include detailed information on other sources, such as biomass.

I know there’s a power plant (or industrial facility, coal mine, etc.) at a certain location. Why isn’t it on the map?

There are a few reasons why the map may not show a particular facility. The facility that you do not see may be too new to have been included in the relevant data set (see "How recent is the data contained in the Almanac?"). Some data sets are also filtered by default. For example, when the Midwest or United States are selected, the map initially only shows power plants over 25 MW in capacity, the level at which many federal regulations affecting power generation begin to apply. You can see all power plants above 1MW of generating capacity by clicking on "More Options" in the Map Options menu and adjusting the "Generating Capacity" slider.

How can I get site-specific information on power plants, coal mines, CO₂ storage sites, and other point data?

You can obtain additional information about individual power plants, coal mines, CO₂ storage sites, and other point data by clicking on their location on the map. This will display a box with additional information on that particular site. To close this box, click on in the top left corner of the box or click on another site.

Why can't I view certain different types of map data at the same time?

The Almanac provides several datasets that show a variety of information on the map for each resource or emission category. Most related data can be viewed at the same time (e.g., solar PV resource potential can be viewed along with PV installations).The Almanac, however, does not permit this for all data sets in order to enhance the user experience. For example, natural gas fields cannot be viewed with shale basins and plays in order to maximize the clarity and accuracy of the data on the map at any given time. If there are specific sets of map data that you think it would be helpful to show at the same time, please let us know.

I want to see just a portion of the data initially displayed for a given map selection. How do I change what is displayed?

Once you’ve made a selection in the exploration menu at the top of the map, the data you see can be controlled multiple ways. First, individual sets of map data can be turned on or off by checking or unchecking the boxes in the "Map Options" menu to the right of the map. Second, certain data sets allow for more fluid manipulation of what is displayed. Click "More Options" to see these additional filtering options for metrics such as generating capacity, facility age, and emissions. Note that these selections will not affect the charts displayed at the bottom of the map or the data in the "Facts and Figures" display.

How do I obtain more information about map data?

Clicking on next to each entry in the "Map Options" menu will display notes describing the map and its data sources. Click on any of the data sources for a full description, including a link to the original data and the methods we used to prepare the data for the Almanac.

Can I change the background map like on a Google Map?

The Almanac is built on Google Maps, so you can use many of the map backgrounds you may be familiar with. Change the background by selecting an alternative scheme from the drop down menu in the top left corner of the map. The default is a gray map that provides high contrast with the Almanac’s map data. Other choices include Google Maps’ basic colored map scheme, a terrain map, and satellite images.

What does the "opacity" scrolling bar at the bottom of the Map Options box do?

This feature allows you to change the transparency of the map layers you’ve selected. Slide the bar to the right to make the map layers completely opaque, or slide the bar left to increase transparency and view map information (such as cities and roads) underneath. Data represented by an icon or circle, such as power plants and coal mines, are not affected by this transparency setting.

Charts ▼

How do I view charts for a specific resource or emission, or for a particular region or state?

The Almanac dynamically displays data on the map, the facts and figures display, and the scrolling charts bar based on your selections in the exploration menu located at the top of the map. Thus, the data displayed will reflect your selections for geographic region, energy source, and emissions. Most data is available at the state level, and will change based on the geographic selection. Where state data is not available, charts will continue to display regional or national-level data even when a state is selected. Each chart will indicate the relevant geographic area in its title.

When will the data in the charts be updated?

Please see the question "How often will the Almanac be updated?"

How do I switch between charts?

To close a chart, click on at the top of each chart, or simply click anywere outside of the chart area, such as another chart, the exploration menu, or the map options menu.

Can I see the value of a data point shown in the charts?

Move your mouse over the section of the chart you are interested in or the relevant legend item to reveal the underlying data.

Where can I find more information about the charts, including their data sources?

At the bottom of each chart, you will find explanatory notes, as well as a list of the chart’s data sources. Click on any of the data sources for a full description, including a link to the original data and the methods we used to prepare the data for the Almanac.

Can I print charts?

Currently, printing of charts is not available. However, we do hope to provide this feature in the future. If this is a function you would find valuable, please let us know. For now, many of the charts you see on the map are also available as images on the Key Questions page. Right click on any of these images and select "Save as" to save one of these charts.

Key Questions ▼

How do I view the answer to a key question displayed on the Map Options bar?

To view the answer to a key question, click on the question you are interested in. You will be taken directly to the answer on the Key Questions page. The answers to all key questions contained in the Almanac are listed here for browsing by resource and emission categories.

When will the answers to the Key Questions be updated?

Please see the question "How often will the Almanac be updated?"

References & Data ▲

Where does the Power Almanac’s data come from? Can I download the data that are used on the site?

Data for the Power Almanac come from a variety of sources, primarily government agencies and laboratories such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. In most cases, the same data we use on the site are publicly available for download, although we have sometimes filtered and collated that data. Full descriptions of our data sources and our methods for preparing the data for use in the Almanac are available on the References & Data page, along with links to the data sources.

How recent is the data that is displayed in the Almanac?

The Power Almanac pulls data from approximately 50 sources. Each of these sources is updated with different frequencies and at different times throughout the year. WRI and the Great Plains Institute will make every effort to update these sources as more recent data becomes available. If you know of alternative or more recent sources than those that are currently displayed, please let us know.

Power Plants

Renewable Resources

Fossil Resources

Emissions

General ▼

How often will the Almanac be updated?

How do I print or save a part of the Almanac?

How can I share a suggestion for an improvement to the Power Almanac?

Map ▼

Why does the Almanac focus on certain power sources?

I know there’s a power plant (or industrial facility, coal mine, etc.) at a certain location. Why isn’t it on the map?

How can I get site-specific information on power plants, coal mines, CO2 storage sites, and other point data?

Why can't I view certain different types of map data at the same time?

I want to see just a portion of the data initially displayed for a given map selection. How do I change what is displayed?

How do I obtain more information about map data?

Can I change the background map like on a Google Map?

What does the "opacity" scrolling bar at the bottom of the Map Options box do?

Charts ▼

How do I view charts for a specific resource or emission, or for a particular region or state?

When will the data in the charts be updated?

How do I switch between charts?

Can I see the value of a data point shown in the charts?

Where can I find more information about the charts, including their data sources?

Can I print charts?

Key Questions ▼

How do I view the answer to a key question displayed on the Map Options bar?

When will the answers to the Key Questions be updated?

References & Data ▲

Where does the Power Almanac’s data come from? Can I download the data that are used on the site?

How recent is the data that is displayed in the Almanac?

How can I get site-specific information on power plants, coal mines, CO₂ storage sites, and other point data?