increased rapidly in recent years . In 2022 , U . S . energy consumption from renewable sources surpassed that from nuclear for the first time since 1984 . U . S . nuclear energy consumption began in the late 1950s and has remained fairly constant since the early 2000s .
Coal was the largest source of U . S . energy for about 65 years , from 1885 until 1950 , when petroleum surpassed it . Early uses of coal included many purposes that are no longer common , such as in stoves for home heating and in engines for train and boat transportation . Since the 1960s , nearly all coal consumed in the United States has been used to generate electricity .
Petroleum remains the mostconsumed source of energy in the United States as it has been since 1950 . Petroleum products , such as motor gasoline , diesel , jet fuel , and propane , are commonly used across all sectors of the modern U . S . economy , from transportation to industrial chemicals and plastics .
Natural gas is the second-largest source of U . S . energy consumption as it has been most years since it surpassed coal in 1958 . Natural gas was once seen as a waste byproduct of crude oil production but has become a common energy source used for heating and electricity generation . In part because of recent advancements in U . S . drilling technology , the availability of natural gas in the United States increased rapidly , and its consumption almost surpassed petroleum in 2020 when the effects of the Covid pandemic limited the amount of energy consumed for transportation .
Renewable energy consumption in the United States increased 2 % from 2022 to a record 8.2 quads in 2023 , largely because of increased use of biofuels in transportation and solar to generate electricity . In 2023 , U . S . wind consumption decreased for the first time in 25 years .
Coal consumption declined to 8.2 quads in 2023 , the least since around
1900 . U . S . coal consumption has decreased by more than half since its peak in 2005 , largely because of less coal use for electricity generation .
Nuclear energy consumption totaled 8.1 quads in 2023 , a slight increase compared with 2022 . The small increase largely came because of the new Vogtle Unit 3 reactor in Georgia in July 2023 .
Petroleum consumption in the United States remained below its 2005 peak , totaling 35.4 quads in 2023 . Most petroleum energy was consumed in transportation . Although use of electric
www . fueloilnews . com | FUEL OIL NEWS | JULY 2024 9