Electricity is among the most important discoveries in history, a discovery which the 8 countries that produce the most electricity in the world have capitalized upon. While electricity was discovered centuries ago, its importance was not realized at all, mainly due to the people at the time not possessing the knowledge and skills to make use of the discovery. If you want to learn more about the production of some of the other essential things in our life, you can visit the 8 countries that produce the most carbon dioxide in the world.
Of course, the Industrial Revolution changed the course of history, and that was the point when people started to realize the wonders of electricity. Today it would seem unimaginable to live in a world where electricity was not used. Imagine going to bed after the sun went down because your best light source just dipped below the horizon. Imagine where you simply had to pray for a cold breeze on a hot summer afternoon, or for a bit of sun on a cold, wintery night. Nowadays, all you need is an air conditioner and you will forget the blistering heat. In fact, this article would not have been written without the discovery and application of electricity, while it is also used to allow you to access the article.
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However, we often take electricity for granted. Yes, it is true that it is not a finite resource but its production can be costly and often, third world countries are unable to produce enough electricity to meet demand. In these countries, it is not unheard of people going without electricity for several hours in just one day. The supply of electricity has to be cut at specific times in order to be able to provide the entire population.
Instead of simply mentioning the 8 countries that produce the most electricity in total, we considered per capita production too. Using data from BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2016, we calculated per capita production for top ten electricity producers in the world. Each country was awarded points for both categories and ranked accordingly. The fewer the points, the better the position. In case two countries have identical points, we used total production as the tie breaker. That is why we had to drop South Korea from the list, which has the same number of points as France and India, but both of these countries produce more electricity in general.
8. France
Production of electricity (in terawatt hours): 568.8
Ranking according to total production of electricity: 9
Production of electricity per capita (in megawatts): 8.52
Ranking according to production of electricity per capita: 4
Overall score: 13
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7. India
Production of electricity (in terawatt hours): 1304.8
Ranking according to total production of electricity: 3
Production of electricity per capita (in megawatts): 2.82
Ranking according to production of electricity per capita: 10
Overall score: 13
6. Germany
Production of electricity (in terawatt hours): 647.1
Ranking according to total production of electricity: 6
Production of electricity per capita (in megawatts): 7.91
Ranking according to production of electricity per capita: 6
Overall score: 12
5. Russian Federation
Production of electricity (in terawatt hours): 1063.4
Ranking according to total production of electricity: 4
Production of electricity per capita (in megawatts): 7.25
Ranking according to production of electricity per capita: 7
Overall score: 11
4. Japan
Production of electricity (in terawatt hours): 1035.5
Ranking according to total production of electricity: 5
Production of electricity per capita (in megawatts): 8.14
Ranking according to production of electricity per capita: 5
Overall score: 10
3. China
Production of electricity (in terawatt hours): 5810.6
Ranking according to total production of electricity: 1
Production of electricity per capita (in megawatts): 4.2
Ranking according to production of electricity per capita: 8
Overall score: 9
2. Canada
Production of electricity (in terawatt hours):633.3
Ranking according to total production of electricity: 7
Production of electricity per capita (in megawatts): 17.56
Ranking according to production of electricity per capita: 1
Overall score: 8
1. The United States of America
Production of electricity (in terawatt hours): 4303.0
Ranking according to total production of electricity: 2
Production of electricity per capita (in megawatts): 13.3
Ranking according to production of electricity per capita: 2
Overall score: 4
Only China produces more electricity in the world than the United States, but it is the per capita production which has propelled the United States of America to the top of the 8 countries that produce the most electricity in the world. Well over 50% of the total production of electricity in the country is powered by coal and natural gas, which has raised debate over the methods used to create electricity, as these fossil fuels have contributed significantly to climate change.
