US Energy: Source to End-Use
Maybe my perceptions are incorrect on this point, but my sense is that a lot of people believe that the US economy is making strong progress toward clean non-carbon energy, driven by increases in solar and wind power. I don’t see it that way. My own reading of the evidence is that the solar/wind presence … Continue reading US Energy: Source to End-Use The post US Energy: Source to End-Use first…
The US energy sector is composed of various primary sources of energy, with fossil fuels dominating at 81% in 2025. Petroleum is the largest primary source for transportation, while natural gas leads in industrial, residential, and commercial use, as well as electricity generation. Renewables, including solar and wind, account for only 3% of US energy production.
Nuclear power is about equal to renewables, making up about three times the size of solar and wind combined. Within the electricity sector, 59% of energy is lost, making electricity account for only 18% of actual end-sector energy use. To replace fossil fuels, such as electric cars and heating, more than twice as much electricity must be generated.
Even if electricity from solar and wind was to become the predominant energy source, it would need to increase by a factor of 20 to replace fossil fuels. This scale of expansion is only a starting point, as building the necessary electrical grid and storage capacity would take decades. While solar and wind have made significant strides in the US energy sector, the numbers suggest they are merely a beginning in the path to a predominantly renewable energy future.
Written by urgent.news from Conversable Economist's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
