Major power consumption in the US was 100.4 quadrillion British thermal models (quads) in 2022, a 3% improve from 2021. About 21% of U.S. power consumption in 2022 got here from nonfossil gasoline sources corresponding to renewables and nuclear—a tie with 2020 as the very best share because the early 1900s, in accordance with knowledge in our Month-to-month Vitality Evaluation. Fossil fuels—petroleum, pure fuel, and coal—accounted for 79% of complete U.S. power consumption in 2022.

Renewable power consumption in the US elevated barely from 12.1 quads in 2021 to a record-high 13.2 quads in 2022. Elevated use of renewables for electrical energy era, 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 8.0 quads in the US 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 the US since surpassing coal in 1950. U.S. petroleum consumption stays under its 2005 peak, and in 2022, it totaled 35.8 quads. The transportation sector accounted for many of the petroleum-fueled power consumption. Though the share of electrical autos on the nation’s roads has elevated, petroleum stays the dominant gasoline supply for vehicles, vans, and planes.

U.S. pure fuel consumption totaled 33.4 quads in 2022, probably the most pure fuel consumption in the US on report. Progress 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 another sector yearly for the previous 5 years.

U.S. coal consumption fell to 9.8 quads in 2022, the second-lowest stage in 60 years. U.S. coal consumption has fallen by greater than half since its peak in 2005. Diminished 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 isn’t properly quantified, though such mills had been a standard characteristic all through the early historical past of the US.

Our Month-to-month Vitality Evaluation’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 Economic system, 1850–1975: Its Historical past and Prospects and the U.S. Division of Agriculture’s Round No. 641, Gasoline Wooden Utilized in the US 1630–1930.

Appendix D of our Month-to-month Vitality Evaluation 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. Knowledge for 1949 by way of the current day can be found within the newest Month-to-month Vitality Evaluation.

Principal contributors: Owen Comstock, Elesia Fasching

Article from U.S. EIA’s At this time in Vitality.

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