Virginia's Power Plants

Rylie Adams

Power plants are an essential part of all Virginian's lives

A power plant converts materials, such as fossil fuels or plants, into usable electricity. In the state of Virginia, there are a total of 151 power plants, ranging from eco-friendly solar power plants, to harsh coal plants. In this StoryMap, you will learn how different power plants affect the environment and what power plants are best when looking at pollution with watts of electricity produced. As a state, Virginia produces 28,050 megawatts of usable energy. So we must ask the question, where do we get our power from?

Looking at power plants around the state

While not all 95 counties in Virginia have a power plant, most do. The interactive map to the left shows the number of power plants in that county. The lighter the shade of pink, the more power plants in that county. You can also view the "legend" in the lower left hand corner to see more detailed information. If you want to zoom in or out, use the + and - icon that is in the lower right hand corner. Above the + and - is the home button. Lastly, in the upper left corner is the search bar, which you can use to search for any location, such as a specific county or city.

Another way to interact with the map is through "pop-ups", simply click on a point or polygon on the map to get more information. For example, click on any VA county to get information on the number of power plants.

In my research, I found that Prince William County has the highest number of power plants with 9 plants, followed by Accomack County and Pittsylvania County, both have 6 power plants.

You can view the exact location of all of Virginia's power plants in this map. The type of plant is indicated by color, which you can find in the legend located in the lower left corner. Also, if you click on any of the circles, you will find more information about that specific plant.

Within the state if Virginia, there are 8 different types of power plants, some of which are much more environmentally friendly than others.

Solar- Converts solar energy into electrical energy as one of the cleanest renewable energy sources

Natural Gas- Is a type of fossil fuel that is relatively efficient and environmentally friendly, releasing few greenhouse gasses but drilling for natural gas can have strong negative impacts

Hydroelectric- Produces energy from the gravitational pull of flowing water, they emit less greenhouse gasses than fossil fuels

Petroleum- Usually used in peak times of electricity demand, they're not very efficient and let high amount of pollutants into the air

Bio Mass- Burns wood and other waste to produce heat that forms electricity and is a renewable source of energy

Coal- Uses steam coal to generate electricity and produce a large amount of greenhouse gasses, many countries are in the process of fading them out

Nuclear- Makes nuclear fission reactions and uranium into high amounts of electricity, they're more efficient and reliable than solar and wind, and produce low amounts of greenhouse gasses

Pumped Storage- Generates electricity by pumping water into a storage reservoir and then, during high electricity demands, pouring that water downhill into hydroelectric generators at a dam

You can view the exact location of all of Virginia's power plants in this map. The type of plant is indicated by color, which you can find in the legend. Also, if you click on any of the circles, you will find out more information about that specific plant.

Within the state of Virginia, the most populous type of plants are:

Petroleum - 36 plants
Biomass - 31 plants
Solar and Natural Gas - both at 27 plants

Interactive Map

Under the interactive map are two panels, the one on the left is a pie chart that shows the proportion of megawatts each type of plant contributes to Virginia's overall power production. If you hover over a part of the chart, it will give you the % for each type of plant and highlight those plants on the map. On the right is a filter, if you click on one of the sliders, it will show only that type of plant on the map. Try clicking the slider for solar and see what happens.

Some Computers may not fully support the WebApp's format. To view the WebApp properly click on the expand button in the upper right corner.

ArcGIS Web Application Try pressing the home button if the map does not automatically go to Virginia

Predominant power plant per county

Shown is a map of Virginia counties with circles representing what power plants are within the county and how much power they generate. The color of the circle tells what type of plant produces the most power within that county. The size of the circle is the total megawatts all of the power plants combined produce. The legend located on the lower left corner can tell more information on colors and size of the circles. If there are no circles in a county, that means that county doesn't have any power plants. You may also click on a circle to find more information about that counties' power plants.

This map features my self created layer file

Now that we know about Virginia's power production, let's look at Virginia's power use

2021 Electricity spending

Overall, Virginia uses an average or over-average amount of power in each household. For example, the average spending for electricity in Loudon County is $3,218 a year, Fairfax County spends $2,904 a year compared to the national average of $1,818 a year. That is why it is very important that as a state, Virginia must pay attention to how it produces and uses its energy. As technology progresses and as more energy is needed to power it, moving towards renewable energy and power plants that release few to no greenhouse gasses, is essential. It is important to monitor and be aware of what kind of power plant Virginia uses. The type of power Virginians produce and use will not only impact those within the state, but surrounding states as well. How Virginia produces power is important for the health of the environment, and all Virginians.

Curious on how Virginia or other states produce energy? Click here to find out.