Painesville — United States of America
Coal power plant in Ohio, United States of America. Approximate location 41.7265, -81.254.
CoalOhioUnited States of AmericaCO₂ modelled
Painesville is a 55.5 MW coal power plant in Ohio, United States of America. It is operated by City of Painesville. Based on reported annual generation of 3 GWh, it can supply roughly 771 homes. It ranks #3511 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1972, it is around 54 years old — an older, legacy facility. Its modelled annual emissions are 123,225 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 29k cars driven for a year. In context, coal supplies about 16.3% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0002936.
Data status
Known data
Modelled source data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: Wikidata P2109; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 55.5 MW, Painesville is below the median coal plant in United States of America (558 MW). Coal plants burn pulverised coal to raise high-pressure steam for a turbine; they run as baseload but are the most carbon-intensive mainstream source and the first targeted for retirement or efficiency retrofits.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
~123,225 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms
This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:
Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.
Key facts
- Load factor
- 1%, from 3 GWh of reported generation; the median for 244 coal plants in United States of America that report generation is 41%
- Generation trend
- 12 GWh in 2013 and 3 GWh in 2019 (−78%)
- Highest and lowest year
- 2013: 12 GWh; 2019: 3 GWh
- Share of United States of America coal capacity
- less than 0.1% of 621,194 MW across 802 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 333 of 745 dated coal plants in United States of America are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Reported generation trend
Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by City of Painesville.
Local climate & thermal context
This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 41.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 42% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.
Climate heat-demand index: 75/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.
Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.
Site climate & environmental severity
This site sits in a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.
Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.
How it compares & nearby plants
The #732 largest coal power plant of 802 in United States of America by capacity.
United States of America has 802 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 621,194 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Perry · Nuclear · 1,303 MW · Ohio
- FirstEnergy Eastlake · Oil · 32 MW · Ohio
- Eastlake Power Plant · Coal · 1,257 MW · Ohio
- Euclid Farm Stamco N-54 · Wind · 1 MW · Ohio
- LE Wind Turbine 1 · Wind · 2.5 MW · Ohio
- Geneva · Waste · 4 MW · Ohio
Location
Coordinates 41.7265, -81.254 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Painesville?
Painesville is a 55.5 MW coal power plant in Ohio, United States of America, commissioned in 1972.
How much electricity does Painesville generate?
Painesville generates about 3 GWh of electricity per year.
Who operates Painesville?
Painesville is operated by City of Painesville.
How much CO₂ does Painesville emit?
Painesville has modelled emissions of about 123,225 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).