The need for energy is massive, and its usefulness cannot be questioned. Affordable and reliable energy enables services that enrich and extend life. Energy powers transportation, computers, communications, medical equipment, and lots more. To better understand the concept of energy, you will first be looking at its sources and then the energy consumption rate per sector.
Some Sources of Energy
This is one of the most significant sources of energy in the United States. By the 20th century, petroleum had gained more [popularity as a result of increased importance in the provision of heat and electricity to the industrial and commercial sectors. Oil also was used in the transportation sector: first for railroads and after some time for motor vehicles. Since the affordability of automobiles, the demand for it has increased, causing the need for oil and its price also to increase.
In the year 2016, natural gas was ranked the largest source of energy production, accounting for 34% of all the energy produced in the nation. This source of energy has been the largest and most prominent source of generating electricity in the United States since June 2015. The US has produced more natural gas than any other country since 2009.
The United States natural gas production has experienced new heights every year since 2011. Because of the availability in supply, the prices for natural gas are quite low in America compared to the prices in Japan and Europe. The significant low price of natural gas has encouraged a rapid growth in generating electricity from natural gas. This has made for healthy competition in using energy(natural gas) to generate electricity. You can check 4change energy reviews to view some of the ratings of these companies.
Most users of coal use it to generate electricity, although its use is in decline. In 2005, about 51% of electric power was produced by coal. It declined to about 31% in 2016. Electric utilities account for more than 89% of the fuel consumed in the United States. The United States is a net exporter of coal. One of her most prominent customers was Europe as of 2012, but since then, it has declined.
- Hydroelectric power
Hydroelectric power stations are currently the most massive source of renewable energy, but the second for nominal capacity (wind power is the first in the United States). It produced 36% of the total number of renewable electricity in the United States in 2015 and 6.2% of the entire United States electricity.
Based on IEA (International Energy Agency) findings, the United States of America was the fourth biggest producer of hydroelectric power in the world in 2009 after Canada, China, and Brazil. Hydroelectric stations exist in about 35 US States. The largest concentration of where hydroelectric power is generated in the United States is in the Columbia River basin, which in the year 2013 was the source of 45% of the country’s hydroelectricity.
- Nuclear power
In the United States, nuclear power is produced by over 100 commercial reactors with a net capacity of 100,500 megawatts(MW), 68 pressurized water reactors, and 36 boiling water reactors. In 2016, they generated a total of 807.4 terawatt-hours of electricity, which accounted for over 20% of the country’s total electrical energy being generated. In that same year, nuclear energy comprised of nearly 70% of America’s emission-free generation. America, as a nation, is one of the world’s largest producers of commercial nuclear power.
- Wind power
The capacity of wind power tripled in the United States from 2008 to 2017 and supplied roughly 6% of the nation’s total electricity generated in 2017. The wind power capacity in the United States exceeds 82GW as of 2017. This capacity is only surpassed by China.
- Solar power
The US is one of the biggest producers of solar power. The nation spearheaded solar farms and many other critical developments in solar energy. In 2016, utility solar contributed about 36.80 TWH to the grid.
SECTORS IN THE UNITED STATES AND THEIR CONSUMPTION OF ENERGY
- Industrial sector:
This includes equipment and facilities used for agriculture, construction, mining, and manufacturing. 23% of the energy consumed is being used for chemical production, 18% for petroleum refining, and 15% for metal smelting and refining.
- Transportation sector:
This includes energy consumed through vehicles that transport goods or people, buses, trucks, ships, boats, trains, aircraft, motorcycles, and barges. 62% of energy is used for gasoline fuel, 23% on diesel fuel, and 11% on aviation.
- Residential sector
This includes living quarters for private households. 33% of energy is being used on sp[ace beating, 14% on water heating, 13% on lighting, 14% on air conditioning, 8% on refrigeration, 4.5% on electronics, and 6% on clothes dryers.
- Commercial sector
The commercial sector includes hotels, schools, malls, hospitals, restaurants, worship centers, offices, warehouses, and public assemblies. 25% of the energy consumed in this sector is for lighting, 14% for heating, 12% for cooling, 7% for refrigeration, 8% for ventilation, and 6.5% for electronics.
In conclusion, the United States of America consumes about 105,500 Joules of energy in a year. This shows that so much energy is needed to improve our living standards on earth.