This StoryMap focuses on Kentucky's current energy portfolio and offers a proposal to shift Kentucky's energy portfolio towards more sustainable options.
Kentucky's electricity energy profile is majority coal-burned energy. Kentucky's energy portfolio is 71% coal, 21% natural gas, and 8% renewable (EIA 2023). Kentucky uses a higher percentage of coal than the average in both China (56%) and the United States (21.9%).
Renewable energy only makes up a small portion (8%) of the state's total energy (Kentucky Energy Profile 2019). Majority of this renewable energy currently comes from hydroelectric power plants. While solar power does contribute to this portion, it's currently a small contribution. There are currently many different projects for solar energy in Kentucky whereas there are few hydropower projects currently. This means solar could surpass hydropower as the majority renewable in the near future.