Energy production can be divided into two categories; primary energy - the extraction of fossil fuels and uranium, as well as harvesting of renewables such as biomass fuels, wind, and solar energy; and secondary energy - electricity generation using primary energy sources. Fossil fuel sources are the main contributor to the United States’ energy production. Petroleum, natural gas, and coal have largely dominated the industry since they were first commercially extracted in the 19th century.
Primary energy – fossil fuels
In the last few decades, U.S. energy production has increased in almost every field, except for coal.
Anthracite production in the U.S. has fallen significantly from a mid-20th century high of nearly 45 million short tons. Natural gas has since succeeded coal as the
main fuel used for electricity generation. Over the next few decades,
energy production is forecast to increase to over 120 quadrillion British thermal units. Greater strides in energy conservation and energy efficiency developments will likely contribute to a fall in fossil fuel dependency in the future.
Primary energy – renewables
Since the world governments signed the Paris Climate Agreement in 2016,
renewable energy production in the U.S. has increased consecutively, reaching 12.5 quadrillion British thermal units in 2022.
Biofuel production averaged roughly 728,000 barrels of oil equivalent in daily in 2022.
Secondary energy – electricity
The U.S. has a total
electricity generating capacity of over 1.1 terawatts. Nuclear power plants have the
greatest capacity factor of any energy source, meaning the ratio of actual electricity generation to maximum output is close to equal. Due to the dynamic nature of non-dispatchable sources such as solar and wind, their capacity factors are significantly lower.
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