Chart of the day: How US energy consumption has changed since independence

On 4 July 1776, the United States declared its independence.

A new chart from the US Energy Information Administration (coincidentally based at Washington’s Independence Avenue) shows the revolution that has taken place in US energy since.

Back then, all energy consumption was renewable, because wood (which can be replanted) was the fuel of choice. Today’s trends include the rise of green power and the continued decline of coal.

However, the EIA also gives important context to these eye-catching headlines: last year fossil fuels still accounted for 80% of all US energy consumption, and a near-record amount of energy was used.

The full data can be found in the June edition of the EIA’s Monthly Energy Review.

Despite the growing interest in sustainable energy – a theme of the World Economic Forum initiative the Great Reset – this EIA chart shows clearly what a vital role hydrocarbons still play in the world’s largest economy.

Petroleum displaced “king coal” as the most-consumed energy source in the United States back in 1950. Despite its place at the top of the graph, its consumption actually peaked in 2005.

Americans used 36.7 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu) of petroleum in 2019 – a single Btu being the amount of heat needed to increase the temperature of a pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. So it’s a mighty power source.

Natural gas is, however, hot on its heels – reaching a record level of consumption in 2019. The US now produces almost all the natural gas it uses, much of it from the land-based hydraulic rock fracturing or “fracking” industry.

Demand for gas is driven largely by demand from the US electric power industry, which has in turn led to a decline in coal consumption – down 15% last year, one of the largest declines of any power source.

At 533 million tonnes, coal use in the US is now at its lowest since the 1970s. The fall of coal in US energy consumption has also been dramatic: it was at its peak as recently as 2005.

The other major trend, shown in green on the second chart, is the rise in all forms of non-fossil fuels. What is also noticeable is how significant a role nuclear plays here – operating at a record capacity in 2019.

The first chart shows a milestone for renewables: surpassing US coal consumption in 2019 for the first time in 130 years. Last year was also significant for wind energy, which overtook hydroelectric power to become the leading renewable energy source.

However, a comparison of the US energy consumption sources from history shown by the charts is worth noting: US wind energy levels today are still only where wood consumption was in the mid-to-late 1800s.

For now at least, America remains heavily reliant on fossil fuels.