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.
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.
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 | NOx | SO2 ▶

Emissions
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.
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.
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
Map
Charts
Key Questions
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.