U.S. consumes more petroleum than any other energy source

Petroleum was the largest source of energy consumed in the United States in 2018, as it has been every year since it surpassed coal in 1950.

According to data maintained by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in 2018 the U.S. used 101 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu) of overall energy -- for transportation, heating, electric power generation, and all other uses. This was a record high level of overall energy consumption.

Of this amount, about 81 quadrillion Btu (about 80% of the total) came from fossil fuels -- petroleum, natural gas, and coal. This is fossil fuels' second-lowest share of the total since 1902, after setting a record low share in 2017.

Petroleum provides the largest share of energy consumed in the U.S., at about one-third of the total. Petroleum consumption increased year-over-year, to about 37 quadrillion Btu in 2018. At the same time, U.S. petroleum consumption remains lower than its peak level (about 40 quadrillion Btu), which occurred in 2005.

Natural gas consumption also increased in 2018, reaching a new record level of 82.1 billion cubic feet per day (or about 31 quadrillion Btu for the year).

Meanwhile, coal consumption fell by 4.3% in 2018. U.S. coal consumption peaked in 2005, and has declined about 42% since then, to the lowest level of coal consumption since the 1970s.

At the same time, renewable energy has continued to grow. In 2018, hydroelectricity, biomass, wind, solar, and other renewables provided about 11.4% of the total energy consumed in the U.S., with significant growth in solar and wind energy generation. In the electric power sector, renewable resources generated more electricity than coal did in the U.S. in April 2019 for the first month.

However, despite the substantial decarbonization of the power grid in New England and other regions, for now transportation and heating remain dominated by petroleum, with associated economic, environmental, and climate implications. Efforts to reduce the carbon intensity of these sectors, such as through electric vehicles and electricity-powered heat pumps, could do much to reduce the associated greenhouse gas emissions.