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Concept
Energy in the United States
Summary
Energy in the United States is obtained from a diverse portfolio of sources, although the majority came from fossil fuels in 2021, as 36% of the nation's energy originated from petroleum, 32% from natural gas, and 11% from coal. Electricity from nuclear power supplied 8% and renewable energy supplied 12%, which includes biomass, wind, hydro, solar and geothermal.
Energy figures are measured in BTU, with 1 BTU equal to 1.055 kJ and 1 quadrillion BTU (1 quad) equal to 1.055 EJ. Because BTU is a unit of heat, sources that generate electricity directly are multiplied by a conversion factor to equate them with sources that use a heat engine.
The United States was the second-largest energy producer and consumer in 2021 after China. The country had a per capita energy consumption of , ranking it tenth in the world behind Canada, Norway, and several Arabian nations. Consumption was mostly for industry (33%) and transportion (28%), with use in homes (21%) and commercial buildings (18%) making up the remainder.
The United States' portion of the electrical grid in North America had a nameplate capacity of 1,213 GW and produced 3,988 TWh in 2021, using 37% of primary energy to do so. The country is the second-largest producer and consumer of electricity, behind China. Natural gas overtook coal as the dominant source for electric generation in 2016. While coal use has been dropping, it remained larger than either nuclear or renewables.
From its founding until the late 19th century, population and energy use in the United States both increased by about 3% per year, resulting in a relatively constant per capita energy use of 100 million BTU. Wood made up the majority of this until near the end of the 1800s, meaning the average American burned eight tons of wood each year.
The Industrial Revolution in the United States saw an increased use of coal. By the late 1800s, it surpassed wood as the major source of energy, as it was cheaper for those living in cities. Lighting, heating and transportation could all be fueled by coal.
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