In the United States, the forms of energy used have improved over time. It has been influenced by advances in technology, discoveries of energy resources, prices of energy, social demands and other aspects. The only thing that is constant is the increased of the amount of energy that is being used over time.
In the 1700's Americans used burned wood as a fuel. Wood was used for heating space and power generation since it was uncomplicated to get, portable and can be used as needed. In the early 1800's coal was used and it supplied more heat than wood. In 1900's oil and natural gas were used. They were cleaner than coals and simpler to handle, transport and keep in many applications. In 1950's nuclear power production began and it rapidly increased in 1970's.
Since 1995, wind power was used as source of renewable energy. Despite the fact that this is an impressive growth, it contributed the energy supply lower than 3/4%. Solar grew over 55% and geothermal almost 27%. Technological innovation and increased prices of fossil fuel now develop geothermal heating cost competitive.
Renewable energy helps the United States to be a lot more energy independent since renewable energy is normally placed where energy will be used. This reduces environmental impact, reduces costs and reduces foreign dependency.
United States’ major energy consumers are residential and commercial buildings, businesses, transportation, and power generators.
The major sources of energy are oil, coal, nuclear, natural gas, and renewable energy. Fuel use differs generally by sector. For instance, oil supplies used in energy for transportation is 93% and only 1% used to produce electric power.
Works Cited
"How We Use Energy — The National Academies." The National Academies presents: What You Need to Know About the World Around You. The National Academy of Sciences, 2013. Web. 16 Sept. 2013.
U.S. Department of Energy. Use of Energy in the United States - Energy Explained, Your Guide To Understanding Energy - Energy Information Administration. U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2013. Web. 16 Sept. 2013.
