Major power consumption in america was 100.four quadrillion British thermal items (quads) in 2022, a 3% enhance from 2021. About 21% of U.S. power consumption in 2022 got here from nonfossil gasoline sources akin to renewables and nuclear—a tie with 2020 as the best share for the reason that early 1900s, in response to knowledge in our Month-to-month Vitality Assessment. Fossil fuels—petroleum, pure fuel, and coal—accounted for 79% of whole U.S. power consumption in 2022.
Renewable power consumption in america elevated barely from 12.1 quads in 2021 to a record-high 13.2 quads in 2022. Elevated use of renewables for electrical energy technology, notably wind and photo voltaic power, largely drove the rise in renewable power consumption. Wind remained the most important supply of renewable power in 2022; it first surpassed hydroelectricity, the second-largest renewable supply, in 2019.
Consumption of nuclear power totaled 8.zero quads in america in 2022, down barely from 8.1 quads in 2021. The small lower was pushed by the closure of the Palisades nuclear energy plant in Could 2022, 9 years earlier than its working license would have expired.
Petroleum has been the most-consumed power supply in america since surpassing coal in 1950. U.S. petroleum consumption stays under its 2005 peak, and in 2022, it totaled 35.Eight quads. The transportation sector accounted for a lot of the petroleum-fueled power consumption. Though the share of electrical automobiles on the nation’s roads has elevated, petroleum stays the dominant gasoline supply for vehicles, vehicles, and planes.
U.S. pure fuel consumption totaled 33.four quads in 2022, probably the most pure fuel consumption in america on report. Development in U.S. pure fuel consumption has largely been pushed by elevated use of pure fuel within the electrical energy sector, which has consumed extra pure fuel than every other sector yearly for the previous 5 years.
U.S. coal consumption fell to 9.Eight quads in 2022, the second-lowest degree in 60 years. U.S. coal consumption has fallen by greater than half since its peak in 2005. Lowered coal use within the electrical energy sector has pushed a lot of this decline.
Early power consumption utilizing water to energy grist, lumber, and different milling operations will not be effectively quantified, though such mills had been a standard characteristic all through the early historical past of america.
Our Month-to-month Vitality Assessment’s pre-1949 estimates of U.S. power consumption are primarily based on two sources: Sam Schurr and Bruce Netschert’s Vitality within the American Financial system, 1850–1975: Its Historical past and Prospects and the U.S. Division of Agriculture’s Round No. 641, Gasoline Wooden Utilized in america 1630–1930.
Appendix D of our Month-to-month Vitality Assessment compiles these estimates of U.S. power consumption in 10-year increments from 1635 by way of 1845 and 5-year increments from 1845 by way of 1945. Information for 1949 by way of the current day can be found within the newest Month-to-month Vitality Assessment.
Principal contributors: Owen Comstock, Elesia Fasching
Article from U.S. EIA’s As we speak in Vitality.
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