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Visualizing the Flow of U.S. Energy Consumption

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Breaking Down America’s Energy Consumption in 2020

This was originally published on July 6 2021, on Visual Capitalist.

The United States relies on a complex mix of energy sources to fuel the country’s various end-sectors’ energy consumption.

While this energy mix is still dominated by fossil fuels, there are signs of a steady shift to renewable energy over the past decade.

This radial Sankey diagram using data from the EIA (Energy Information Administration) breaks down U.S. energy consumption in 2020, showing us how much each sector relies on various energy sources.

The Balance of Energy Production and Consumption

In 2019 and now in 2020, America’s domestic energy production has actually been greater than its consumption—a development that hasn’t taken place since 1957.

Last year’s numbers were severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, seeing a 5% drop in energy production and a 7% drop in consumption compared to 2019. Total energy production and consumption for 2020 came in at 95.75 and 92.94 quads respectively.

The energy amounts are equalized and measured in quadrillion BTUs (British thermal units), also known as quads. A quad is a huge amount of energy, equivalent to 183 million barrels of petroleum or 36 million tonnes of coal.

So how is America’s overall energy production and consumption split between energy sources?

U.S. Energy Production and Consumption Share by Source

Energy SourcePercentage of U.S. Energy ProductionPercentage of U.S. Energy Consumption
Petroleum32%35%
Natural Gas36%34%
Renewable Energy12%12%
Coal11%10%
Nuclear9%9%

Source: IEA

America’s new margin of energy production over consumption has resulted in the country being a net total energy exporter again, providing some flexibility as the country continues its transition towards more sustainable and renewable energy sources.

Fossil Fuels Still Dominate U.S. Energy Consumption

While America’s mix of energy consumption is fairly diverse, 79% of domestic energy consumption still originates from fossil fuels. Petroleum powers over 90% of the transportation sector’s consumption, and natural gas and petroleum make up 74% of the industrial sector’s direct energy consumption.

There are signs of change as consumption of the dirtiest fossil fuel, coal, has declined more than 58% since its peak in 2005. Coinciding with this declining coal dependence, consumption from renewable energy has increased for six years straight, setting record highs again in 2020.

However, fossil fuels still make up 79% of U.S. energy consumption, with renewables and nuclear accounting for the remaining 21%. The table below looks at the share of specific renewable energy sources in 2020.

Distribution of Renewable Energy Sources

Renewable Energy Source2020 Energy Consumption in QuadsShare of 2020 Renewable Energy Consumption
Biomass4.5239%
Wind3.0126%
Hydroelectric2.5522%
Solar1.2711%
Geothermal0.232%

Source: IEA

The Nuclear Necessity for a Zero-Emission Energy Transition

It’s not all up to renewable energy sources to clean up America’s energy mix, as nuclear power will play a vital role in reducing carbon emissions. Technically not a renewable energy source due to uranium’s finite nature, nuclear energy is still a zero-emission energy that has provided around 20% of total annual U.S. electricity since 1990.

Support for nuclear power has been growing slowly, and last year was the first which saw nuclear electricity generation overtake coal. However, this might not last as three nuclear plants including New York’s Indian Point nuclear plant are set to be decommissioned in 2021, with a fourth plant scheduled for retirement in 2022.

It’s worth noting that while other countries might have a higher share of nuclear energy in their total electricity generation, the U.S. still has the largest nuclear generation capacity worldwide and has generated more nuclear electricity than any other country in the world.

Converting Energy to Electricity

The energy produced by nuclear power plants doesn’t go directly to its end-use sector, rather, 100% of nuclear energy in the U.S. is converted to electricity which is sold to consumers. Along with nuclear, most energy sources aside from petroleum are primarily converted to electricity.

Unfortunately, electricity conversion is a fairly inefficient process, with around 65% of the energy lost in the conversion, transmission, and distribution of electricity.

This necessary but wasteful step allows for the storage of energy in electrical form, ensuring that it can be distributed properly. Working towards more efficient methods of energy to electricity conversion is an often forgotten aspect of reducing wasted energy.

Despite the dip in 2020, both energy production and consumption in the U.S. are forecasted to continue rising. As Biden aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 (from 2005 emission levels), U.S. energy consumption will inevitably continue to shift away from fossil fuels and towards renewable and nuclear energy.

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Energy

Ranked: The Largest Power Outages in the U.S. (2013–2023)

Severe weather caused all ten of the largest U.S. power outages in the past decade, highlighting the importance of grid resiliency.

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the preview image for a polar bar chart that ranks the top ten power outages in the U.S. between 2013 and 2023, ordered by the number of customers affected.

Ranked: The Largest Power Outages in the U.S. (2013–2023)

Power outages—whether due to operational failures, extreme weather, vandalism, or fuel shortages—can have far-reaching impacts on both customers and utility companies.

Created in partnership with The National Public Utilities Council, this graphic shows the 10 largest power outages in the U.S. from the last decade, using data from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). 

A Decade Of Power Disruptions In Review

The U.S. DOE defines a power outage as an event in which electric service is lost to more than 50,000 customers for one hour or more. 

Between 2013 and 2023, all 10 of the largest U.S. outages—ranked by the number of customers affected—have been due to severe weather events. Hurricanes and winter storms, specifically, have caused eight of the 10 outages. 

YearNumber of Customers AffectedEventArea Affected
20173,500,000Hurricane IrmaFlorida
20212,000,000Winter stormTexas
20181,458,000Hurricane FlorenceNorth & South Carolina
20161,200,000Hurricane MatthewFlorida
20201,188,000Tropical Storm IsaiasNew England
20171,077,000Hurricane HarveyTexas
2019972,000WildfiresCalifornia
2013881,000Winter stormTexas
2023730,000Winter stormNew England
2014715,000Winter stormPennsylvania

Hurricane Irma tops this list by leaving 3.5 million Floridians without power in 2017. Irma was a Category 5 hurricane that impacted the Southeastern state and several island nations, leading to more than $50 billion in damages in Florida alone.

While Florida experienced the largest outage between 2013 and 2023, Texas has the most events in the top 10 list. These were caused by a winter storm in 2021, Hurricane Harvey in 2017, and another winter storm in 2013. 

Investing in a Resilient Grid

The causes of the U.S.’s largest outage events highlight the vulnerability of its transmission infrastructure to extreme weather. 

As of 2023, 70% of U.S. transmission lines were over 25 years old. This makes them more susceptible to power outages, cyber-attacks, and sparking wildfires. 

It is also relevant to note that extreme weather events are increasing in both frequency and intensity due to climate change. Addressing infrastructure vulnerability, therefore, may be a critical aspect of maintaining reliable power in the decades to come. 

Learn how the National Public Utilities Council is working toward the future of sustainable electricity.

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Energy

Visualized: Countries by Grid Storage Battery Capacity in 2023

This treemap chart uses data from The Statistical Review of World Energy to show the top 10 countries with the most battery storage capacity in 2023.

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The preview image for a treemap chart showing the top 10 countries with the most battery storage capacity in 2023, with data from The Statistical Review of World Energy.

Visualized: Countries by Grid Storage Battery Capacity in 2023

According to the International Energy Agency, 1,300 GW of battery storage will be needed by 2030 to support the renewable energy capacity required to meet the 1.5°C global warming target. But how close is the world to reaching that target?

The Energy Institute’s annual Statistical Review of World Energy reveals the grid storage battery capacity of every country in 2023.

This treemap, created in partnership with the National Public Utilities Council, visualizes which countries had the most grid-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) in 2023.

The U.S. and China’s Acceleration

China has nearly half the world’s grid storage battery capacity and keeps growing at a breakneck pace. From 2022 to 2023, the country added over 19 gigawatts of storage to its grid, moving from 7.8 to 27.1 GW.

Country2023 Installed Capacity, GWShare, 2023Growth Rate, 2022–2023
🇨🇳 China27.148.6%+249.1%
🇺🇸 U.S.15.828.3%+70.0%
🇬🇧 United Kingdom3.66.5%+54.2%
🇦🇺 Australia1.83.2%+95.1%
🇩🇪 Germany1.73.1%+27.9%
🇰🇷 South Korea1.01.8%n/a
🇯🇵 Japan0.61.0%+76.7%
🇮🇪 Ireland0.40.8%+27.6%
🇨🇦 Canada0.40.7%+426.0%
🇿🇦 South Africa0.30.5%+29300.0%

The U.S. also significantly increased its capacity in 2023, moving from 9.3 to 15.8 GW. The two largest economies account for over three-quarters of the world’s grid storage battery capacity. California’s 8.6 GW is the largest capacity of any state and more than twice that of second-place Texas.

Although Canada had only 0.4 GW of storage capacity in 2023, it quadrupled its capacity from the previous year. However, its 426% annual growth rate is still not the highest of the top 10 countries.

It was South Africa that had the largest growth rate of capacity in 2023 due to its new facility in Worcester. Its annual growth rate was 29,300%.

Not all countries in the top 10 are experiencing significant growth. Ireland and Germany’s capacities only grew by 28% from the previous year. Meanwhile, South Korea’s capacity remained the same.

A Promising Future

The International Energy Agency estimates that 1,300 GW of battery storage will be needed by 2030 to support the renewable energy capacity required to meet the 1.5°C global warming target.

Despite ongoing regulatory challenges, such as inadequate environmental protection, the total global grid storage battery capacity in 2023 reached 55.7 GW. This marked a 120.8% increase from the previous year.

At a 120.8% growth rate, the 2030 target will be met two years early, in 2028.

Learn how the National Public Utilities Council is working toward the future of sustainable electricity.

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