Petroleum is the primary source of energy in the United States, with a consumption of 35.85 quadrillion British thermal units in 2022. Closely following, the U.S. had 33.41 quadrillion British thermal units of energy derived from natural gas.
Energy consumption by source
Petroleum is the main source of energy in the United States. The liquid is predominantly utilized as a fuel in the transportation sector, which is also the second-largest consumer of energy in the U.S., with a proportion of over 25 percent of the country’s total energy consumption in 2021. This figure is topped only by the energy-guzzling industrial sector, a major consumer of fossil fuels such as petroleum and natural gas.
Despite the prevalence of fossil fuels in the U.S. energy mix, the use of renewable energy sources has grown immensely in the last decades to approximately 7.5 exajoules in 2021. Most of the renewable energy produced in the United States is derived from biomass, hydro and wind sources. More often than not, renewable energy is converted into electricity. In 2022, renewable electricity accounted for approximately 22.5 percent of the nation’s total electricity generation. In the long run, it is projected that renewable power will replace petroleum as the main fuel in motor vehicles, once the internal combustion motor - that revolutionized the world in the early 19th century - has been marginalized by alternative propulsion technologies.
Primary energy consumption in the United States in 2021 and 2022, by energy source
(in quadrillion British thermal units)
* Petroleum products supplied, including natural gas plant liquids and crude oil burned as fuel. Does not include biofuels that have been blended with petroleum - biofuels are included in biomass ** Natural gas only; excludes supplemental gaseous fuels. Most data are estimates.
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EIA (U.S. Energy Information Administration). (June 30, 2023). Primary energy consumption in the United States in 2021 and 2022, by energy source (in quadrillion British thermal units) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved July 24, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/203325/us-energy-consumption-by-source/
EIA (U.S. Energy Information Administration). "Primary energy consumption in the United States in 2021 and 2022, by energy source (in quadrillion British thermal units)." Chart. June 30, 2023. Statista. Accessed July 24, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/203325/us-energy-consumption-by-source/
EIA (U.S. Energy Information Administration). (2023). Primary energy consumption in the United States in 2021 and 2022, by energy source (in quadrillion British thermal units). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: July 24, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/203325/us-energy-consumption-by-source/
EIA (U.S. Energy Information Administration). "Primary Energy Consumption in The United States in 2021 and 2022, by Energy Source (in Quadrillion British Thermal Units)." Statista, Statista Inc., 30 Jun 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/203325/us-energy-consumption-by-source/
EIA (U.S. Energy Information Administration), Primary energy consumption in the United States in 2021 and 2022, by energy source (in quadrillion British thermal units) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/203325/us-energy-consumption-by-source/ (last visited July 24, 2024)
Primary energy consumption in the United States in 2021 and 2022, by energy source (in quadrillion British thermal units) [Graph], EIA (U.S. Energy Information Administration), June 30, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/203325/us-energy-consumption-by-source/