How has Energy Use Changed since 1776?
Image courtesy of EIA under Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic Deed, resized to 700 x 391 pixels.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently published an interesting analysis of how energy use has changed in the U.S. since 1776. It’s very interesting (to me at least…) and therefore I thought it would make a great story for today’s blog post!
250 Years of Energy Use Evolution
In 1776, renewable energy was the largest consumed source in the country. Of course, we’re not talking about solar or wind power, we’re talking about good old fashioned wood burning. And this was the primary type used for the subsequent hundred-plus years.
Finally in the late 1800s, coal started taking hold, and this was the primary form used from 1885-1950. But back then, coal was used for several purposes that are not relevant today – such as home heating and in engines for trains and ships (it was not until the early 1960’s that most of the coal consumed in the U.S. started being used for electricity generation).
Following coal, we have petroleum, which has been the highest-consumed source of energy in the country since 1950, used for everything from transportation to the manufacturing of plastics and chemicals. Natural gas has been the second-most used energy type from 1950 on, especially in 1958 when it exceeded coal.
Clean energy as we know today really did not take hold until the last 20 or so years. Surprisingly, biofuels are currently the most-consumed energy source in the U.S. More relevant forms of renewables such as wind and solar have been rapidly increasing in recent years but still only represent about 9% of the overall energy mix. Meanwhile, energy generated from sources such as nuclear and hydroelectric power have remained flat for decades. In 2022, renewable energy surpassed nuclear power, and in 2023, it surpassed coal.
There is little doubt that energy use has evolved dramatically over the past 250 years. This begs the question; what will it look like 250 years from now?
