Mercedes Mullins
Energy is a crucial resource for maintaining the quality of life and economic growth. The United States, with 4.5% of the world's population, consumes 24% of the world's oil production annually. In 2023, fossil fuels such as petroleum, natural gas, and coal dominated the US energy mix, accounting for about 84% of total primary energy production. While renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and biomass are gaining traction, they still account for a smaller portion of the energy mix, with solar and wind contributing less than 4% of the total energy used in the US as of 2018. However, it's important to note that the energy landscape is evolving, and renewable sources are expected to play a more significant role in the future.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Percentage of energy from nonrenewable fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, coal) | 84%-85% |
| Percentage of energy from fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, petroleum, other gases) | 60% |
| Percentage of energy from fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) | 80% (2018) |
| Percentage of energy from fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, crude oil) | 75% (2023) |
| Percentage of energy from coal | 11.5% (2023) |
| Percentage of energy from petroleum | 38% (2023) |
| US oil consumption as a percentage of world oil production | 24% |
| US oil consumption as a percentage of US oil imports | 66% |
| US electricity generated from utility-scale renewable sources | 21% |
| US electricity generated from small-scale solar photovoltaic systems | 73.62 billion kWh |
| US electricity generated from nuclear energy | 19% |
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What You'll Learn
Fossil fuels still dominate the US energy mix
Fossil fuels—including petroleum, natural gas, and coal—have dominated the US energy mix for over a century. In 2023, they accounted for about 84% of total US primary energy production. While the fuel mix has evolved over the years, oil still dominates, with about 40% of the world's energy derived from it. The United States, with only 4.5% of the global population, consumes 24% of the world's oil production annually, importing 66% of its oil.
In 2023, total US primary energy consumption was approximately 94 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu). Fossil fuels, specifically coal, natural gas, and petroleum, generated about 60% of the electricity produced at utility-scale electricity generation facilities in the US that year. This amounts to about 4.18 trillion kilowatthours (kWh) of electricity.
The US has a preference for fossil fuels, but renewable energy sources are gaining traction. In 2023, renewable energy sources accounted for about 21% of electricity generation at utility-scale facilities. Solar capacity has expanded at a rapid pace, with a record 32.4 GW installed in 2023, bringing total capacity to nearly 180 GW. In 2023, US ethanol production was 43 million gallons per day, with a projected increase to 47 million gallons per day by 2050.
Despite these advancements, fossil fuels remain the primary source of energy in the US. In 2018, fossil fuels met about 80% of the country's energy demand, a slight decrease from 84% a decade earlier. Petroleum consumption in the US decreased in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but increased again as the economy recovered.
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Renewable energy is growing fast
In 2023, fossil fuels—coal, natural gas, and petroleum—accounted for about 84% of total US primary energy production. Fossil fuels have dominated the US energy mix for over a century, but renewable energy is growing fast.
In 2020, almost 5% of the energy consumed across sectors in the US came from renewable sources. Renewable energy sources include wind, solar, geothermal, hydropower, biofuels, and biomass. Consumption of renewables in the US is projected to grow over the next 30 years at an average annual rate of 2.4%, outpacing the overall growth rate in energy consumption. By 2030, renewables are expected to make up 35% of electricity generation in the US, with most of the increase coming from wind and solar.
The US has seen record-breaking solar deployment in recent years, with solar capacity growing at an average of 22% annually over the last decade. In 2023, solar accounted for 53% of new generating capacity, the first time in 80 years that a renewable energy resource made up the majority of capacity additions. Wind capacity grew less in 2023 than in 2022, but projections call for an increase in 2024. Despite these challenges, renewables still vastly outpaced other generation sources in 2024, collectively accounting for around 90% of the country's new installed capacity.
The growth of renewable energy is not limited to the US. Globally, renewable energy is the fastest-growing energy source. In 2019, about 11.2% of the energy consumed globally for heating, power, and transportation came from modern renewables, up from 8.7% a decade earlier. By the end of 2020, renewables made up 29% of global electricity generation.
The falling costs of renewable energy technologies are driving their increasing adoption. The cost of electricity from solar power fell by 85% between 2010 and 2020, while the costs of onshore and offshore wind energy fell by 56% and 48%, respectively. With falling costs, renewable energy sources are not only a cleaner and more sustainable option but also a more affordable one.
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Solar and wind power use has grown rapidly
In 2023, fossil fuels—coal, natural gas, and petroleum—accounted for about 60% of total electricity generation in the US. While fossil fuels have dominated the US energy mix for over a century, solar and wind power use has grown rapidly in recent years.
Solar capacity has grown at an average of 22% annually over the last decade, with a record 32.4 GW installed in 2023, raising the total capacity to almost 180 GW. Solar generation grew in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. between 2015 and 2024, with Texas, California, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Florida seeing the largest growth. In 2023, small-scale solar capacity was more than six times the amount in 2014, and it is estimated that it could grow to 55 GW by the end of 2024. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that 73.62 billion kWh of electricity generation came from small-scale solar photovoltaic systems in 2023.
Wind power has also seen significant growth, with a 2.4-fold increase over the last decade. In 2024, the US generated a record 756,621 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity from solar and wind combined, more than triple the amount generated in 2015. By 2035, solar and wind energy could make up the majority of state energy capacity in 46 of the 48 contiguous states.
The shift towards renewable energy sources such as solar and wind is crucial for reducing emissions and meeting climate targets. As the cost of these technologies continues to decline, the EIA forecasts that most of the nation's new energy capacity will come from renewables, moving away from fossil fuels.
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Hydropower is the biggest renewable energy source
In 2023, about 4.18 trillion kilowatthours (kWh) of electricity were generated at utility-scale electricity generation facilities in the United States. Fossil fuels—coal, natural gas, and petroleum—accounted for about 60% of this electricity generation. About 19% was from nuclear energy, and the remaining 21% was from renewable energy sources.
Hydropower, or hydroelectric power, is a renewable and cost-effective form of energy. It uses the natural flow of moving water to generate electricity. Hydropower facilities come in all sizes, from huge facilities like the Hoover Dam to tiny facilities that take advantage of water flows in municipal water plants or irrigation ditches. Hydropower plants can also be "damless", with diversions or run-of-river facilities that channel part of a stream through a powerhouse before the water rejoins the main river.
Most hydroelectricity in the US is produced at large dams built by the federal government, and many of the largest hydropower dams are in the western United States. About half of the total US utility-scale conventional hydroelectricity-generation capacity is concentrated in Washington, California, and Oregon. Washington has more conventional hydroelectricity-generation capacity than any other state, and it is the site of the Grand Coulee Dam, the largest US hydropower facility with the highest electricity-generation capacity of all US power plants.
Hydropower is an affordable source of electricity with relatively low costs in terms of maintenance, operations, and fuel. While there are significant upfront costs associated with the construction of large hydropower facilities, the longer lifespan of hydropower equipment helps to spread out these costs over time. Additionally, the equipment used at hydropower facilities often has longer lifespans and requires fewer replacements or repairs, resulting in further cost savings.
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Coal consumption is declining
In 2023, fossil fuels—including coal—accounted for about 84% of total US primary energy production. However, coal consumption in the US is on a downward spiral. Coal use at US power plants is slumping, and the fuel has not achieved a 20% market share in any month in 2023. The amount of coal used each day in the US has fallen from about 2.8 million tons a day in 2008 to about 1.1 million tons a day in 2023—a 62% drop.
The decline in coal consumption can be attributed to several factors, including rising mining costs, stringent environmental regulations, and competition from other sources of electric power generation. For example, solar capacity has grown at an average of 22% annually over the last decade, and in 2023, solar accounted for 53% of new generating capacity. This is the first time in 80 years that a renewable energy resource has been a majority of capacity additions.
The US is not alone in its declining coal consumption. Coal use is also declining in Europe, although it continues to rise in Asia, with China being the world's biggest consumer, producer, and importer of coal.
The decline in coal consumption has had a direct impact on coal mining in the US, with the EIA warning of a significant production downturn for the remainder of 2023 and 2024. Overall, coal output could fall to 466 million tons in 2024, a 25% decline from 2023 levels. This would be the smallest annual US coal production since 1962.
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Frequently asked questions
In 2023, non-renewable fossil fuels provided about 75% of US energy production. Fossil fuels have dominated the US energy mix for over a century.
The main sources of non-renewable energy in the US are coal, natural gas, and petroleum.
In 2023, renewable energy sources accounted for about 25% of US energy production. This includes biomass, wind, hydroelectric, solar, and geothermal energy.
