Rajan Wilcox
Fossil fuels have been the primary source of energy for over 150 years, with coal, oil, and natural gas being the most widely used. In 2020, fossil fuels supplied about 80% of the world's energy. However, the energy landscape is evolving, and other sources like hydropower, biomass, wind, geothermal, and solar energy are becoming more prevalent. Nuclear energy is also an option, but it is costly and produces radioactive waste. The transition to low-carbon energy sources is a challenge, but it is necessary to reduce the carbon emissions caused by fossil fuels, which contribute to global warming.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Percentage of global primary energy that comes from low-carbon sources | 16.67% |
| Percentage of energy used by modern society that comes from fossil fuels | 80% |
| Most common fossil fuels | Coal, oil, natural gas |
| Largest source of energy in the world | Oil |
| Largest source of energy in the US in 2023 | Fossil fuels |
| US energy consumption in 2023 | 93.59 quads |
| US energy production in 2023 | 102.83 quads |
| Percentage of US energy production in 2023 that was fossil fuels | 84% |
| Percentage of US energy consumption in 2023 that was petroleum | 38% |
| Percentage of US electricity generation in 2023 that was fossil fuels | 60% |
| Percentage of US electricity generation in 2023 that was nuclear energy | 19% |
| Percentage of US electricity generation in 2023 that was renewable energy | 21% |
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What You'll Learn
Fossil fuels have dominated the US energy mix for over 100 years
Fossil fuels have been the primary source of energy in the US for over a century. The US, like the rest of the world, has relied on fossil fuels—coal, oil, and natural gas—for over 150 years. In 2018, fossil fuels met about 80% of the nation's energy demand, a slight decrease from 84% a decade earlier.
The US has been a world leader in oil and gas production, with crude oil accounting for nearly a quarter of all US energy production in 2018. Oil has been the largest source of US energy-related carbon emissions, closely followed by natural gas. Petroleum consumption, which peaked in the 1970s at 49% of total US energy consumption, was still at 38% in 2023.
However, renewable energy sources are growing in importance. In 2018, solar and wind power accounted for less than 4% of US energy usage, but this was a rapid increase over the previous decade. Hydropower, biomass, geothermal, and nuclear energy are also part of the US energy mix. The US government provides at least $20 billion in direct federal subsidies to the fossil fuel industry, but public opinion favours a shift towards renewable energy sources.
The transition to renewable energy is a global challenge. Fossil fuels accounted for more than 81% of world energy production in 2019, and while oil production decreased in 2020 due to the pandemic, it is expected to rebound. However, renewable energy sources are projected to surpass coal by early 2025, and by 2050, renewable sources could cover nearly all energy demand.
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Oil is the most produced form of energy
Oil, or petroleum, is a fossil fuel formed over millions of years from the anaerobic decay of organic materials from buried prehistoric organisms, particularly plankton and algae. It is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. Crude oil is found in large underground deposits, in tiny spaces within sedimentary rocks, and near the surface in tar (or oil) sands.
Oil is the world's largest energy source today. It is the dominant source of energy for the transport sector, with about 90% of vehicular fuel needs met by oil. In 2022, the US total petroleum consumption averaged about 20.28 million barrels per day, including about 1.17 million barrels per day of biofuels. In 2022, consumption of finished motor gasoline, which includes fuel ethanol, averaged about 8.78 million barrels per day, accounting for about 43% of total US petroleum consumption. Distillate fuel oil, which includes diesel fuel and heating oil, is the second most-consumed petroleum product in the US. In 2022, total world petroleum consumption was about 97.26 million barrels per day.
Oil has been a significant driver of international relations during much of the 20th and 21st centuries. Organizations like OPEC have played an outsized role in global politics due to their control of petroleum production. The two oil price shocks had many short- and long-term effects on the global economy and geopolitics. High oil prices induced investment in oil production by non-OPEC countries, including the North Sea offshore fields of the United Kingdom and Norway, and oil sands in Canada.
While oil remains the most produced form of energy, there is a growing focus on transitioning to renewable energy sources. The slow rate of energy transitions in the past means that the shift from fossil fuels to low-carbon energy sources is a new challenge. Solar and wind energy, referred to as 'modern renewables', were only added to the energy mix in the 1980s. Hydroelectric power has been the largest source of renewable energy for many countries for over half a century and is still influential globally.
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Natural gas is projected to meet an increasing share of US energy demand
Natural gas has been the largest source of US domestic energy production every year since 2011, when it surpassed coal. In 2024, natural gas accounted for about 38% of US total energy production. US natural gas production has been increasing, with production in 2025 expected to be 3% more than in 2024. This increase is driven mainly by the Permian region, which is expected to produce 6% more natural gas in 2025 than in 2024. Appalachia and Haynesville are also expected to increase their natural gas production.
The US is the top consumer of natural gas globally, making up 22.1% of the world's share. In 2023, the US experienced a 93.8% annual increase in LNG exports over the past decade, surpassing Qatar and Australia to become the world's largest LNG exporter.
The US has also been increasing its domestic natural gas processing capacity, which has resulted in an increase in natural gas plant liquids (NGPL) production. NGPLs include fuels such as ethane and propane that are associated with natural gas processing. In 2024, NGPLs accounted for about 9% of total US energy production.
Several factors influence natural gas demand and consumption in the US. For example, record-breaking temperatures in cities across the Central and Eastern regions have resulted in surging electricity demand, leading to increased natural gas consumption. Notably, in New England, power demand has soared to meet cooling needs, with natural gas consumption increasing from 1.2 to 2.0 billion cubic feet per day in a week.
Additionally, the retirement of coal plants and the increasing frequency of outages in coal generation due to aging units and increased cycling to support renewable sources contribute to the rising reliance on natural gas as an alternative fuel.
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Renewable energy sources are growing quickly
Since the Industrial Revolution, the energy mix of most countries has been dominated by fossil fuels. Oil is the world's largest energy source today, with petroleum providing about 89% of the transportation sector's primary energy consumption in 2023. However, renewable energy sources are growing quickly and will play a vital role in tackling climate change.
Hydroelectric power has been an influential low-carbon energy technology for many countries for decades, and it is still the largest source of renewable energy globally. However, solar and wind power—what Vaclav Smil refers to as "modern renewables"—are growing quickly in many countries. In 2023, solar PV accounted for about 70% of the growth in renewable electricity generation, with wind generation making up the rest.
The electricity sector is the brightest spot for renewables, with the strong growth of solar photovoltaics and wind in recent years. Global renewable electricity generation is forecast to climb to over 17,000 terawatt-hours (TWh) by the end of this decade, an increase of almost 90% from 2023. In 2025, renewables-based electricity generation is set to overtake coal-fired generation.
In the United States, renewable energy sources, including small-scale solar, supplied nearly 25% of electricity in 2024. The US clean energy sector has seen several record-breaking years, with solar deployment and electric vehicle (EV) sales breaking records in 2023 and 2024.
To reduce CO2 emissions and local air pollution, the world needs to rapidly shift towards low-carbon sources of energy. Renewable energy will play a key role in decarbonizing our energy systems in the coming decades.
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Nuclear energy is an expensive zero-carbon alternative
The world is currently facing the challenge of transitioning from fossil fuels to low-carbon energy sources. Fossil fuels, including coal, oil, and natural gas, are the largest source of global carbon dioxide emissions. While nuclear energy is a zero-carbon alternative, it is expensive.
Nuclear energy has been a source of electricity since the 1960s, and it is the second-largest source of low-carbon electricity globally, after hydropower. It generates power through fission, the process of splitting uranium atoms to produce energy. Nuclear energy is a zero-emission source that does not produce the harmful byproducts emitted by fossil fuels. According to the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), the United States avoided over 471 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions in 2020 due to nuclear energy, which is equivalent to removing 100 million cars from the road. Additionally, nuclear energy removes thousands of tons of harmful air pollutants that contribute to acid rain, smog, and health issues like lung cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Nuclear energy is also land-efficient, requiring less space than wind or solar energy farms to produce the same amount of electricity. A typical 1,000-megawatt nuclear facility in the United States needs just over one square mile to operate, while wind farms require 360 times more land area, and solar plants need 75 times more space. Nuclear fuel is extremely dense, about one million times denser than other traditional energy sources, resulting in a relatively small amount of nuclear waste.
However, nuclear energy faces challenges due to its cost. For example, the cost estimates for NuScale's small modular reactor (SMR) technology have risen sharply. Initially, the projected power price was $55 per megawatt-hour (MWh) in 2016, but by 2022, the price had surged to $89/MWh, and utilities could pay $102/MWh by 2030. This increase is attributed to a 75% rise in construction costs, now estimated at $9.3 billion, making nuclear energy as expensive as other over-budget nuclear projects.
Despite the expenses, nuclear energy has its advantages in the transition to a zero-carbon future. However, renewable energy technologies like solar and wind power, coupled with advancements in energy storage, offer a more financially sound and environmentally sustainable path, especially for regions with abundant sunlight like Jamaica. Establishing recycling and repurposing industries for decommissioned solar panels can also help mitigate environmental risks and maximize resource efficiency in the renewable energy sector.
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Frequently asked questions
Fossil fuels, including coal, oil, and natural gas, supply about 80% of the world's energy. In 2019, fossil fuels accounted for more than 81% of production, with oil as the most produced form of energy.
In 2023, about 60% of the United States' electricity generation was from fossil fuels, with coal, natural gas, petroleum, and other gases as the main sources. In the same year, fossil fuels accounted for about 84% of total U.S. primary energy production.
In 2023, petroleum provided about 89% of the transportation sector's primary energy consumption.
