No one should be surprised to hear that the U.S. power grid wastes more energy than it uses, but the U.S. "wasted" 61% of energy generated in 2012, according to Opower's interpretation of data from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Here's a chart that depicts the energy flow (click here for enlarged image): 

A.J. Simon, an energy systems analyst for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, identified several ongoing trends in electricity generation:

• Wind is up. Wind recorded the highest gain in generation, up to 1.36 quadrillion British Thermal Units (BTUs) in 2012 from 1.17 quadrillion BTUs in 2011. "Bigger, more efficient turbines" and "government-sponsored incentives" are primarily responsible for the increase in wind generation.
• Solar is rising. Solar nearly doubled from 0.158 quadrillion BTUs to 0.235 quadrillion BTUs in 2012. A global oversupply causing "extraordinarily declines in prices of photovoltaic panels" is the primary driver behind the increase. 
• Natural gas is being phased in for natural gas: "[...] sustained low natural gas prices have prompted a shift from coal to gas."
• Nuclear generation dropped: "It is likely to be a permanent cut as four nuclear reactors recently went offline. There are a couple of nuclear plants under construction, but they won't come on for another few years."