Since 2019 the
U.S. has produced more energy than it consumes. It has done this while cutting energy production from coal by half since coal production
peaked in 2008. How were we able to do this? Largely due to fracking. Energy
efficiency and growth in wind and solar helped but increases in domestic oil
and gas output are by far the main factor. The 2019 milestone was important
since the U.S. had last produced more energy than it consumed way back in the
1950s. spread between production and consumption has grown to a record high in
2023. EIA explains its methodology and the results below:
“To compare different types of energy reported in
different types of physical units (such as barrels, cubic feet, tons, and
kilowatthours), we convert sources of energy to common units of heat called
British thermal units (Btu). Noncombustible renewable sources such as
hydroelectric and solar energy are converted to Btu using the constant
conversion of 3,412 Btu per kilowatthour.”
“The increase in total U.S. energy production was driven
largely by growth in the production of natural gas and crude oil in 2023. Dry
natural gas production grew 4% to a record 39 quads in 2023, growing 58% since
2013. Crude oil production grew 9% from 2022 and reached a record of 27 quads
in 2023, a 69% increase since 2013. Production of natural gas plant liquids, a
byproduct of natural gas production, increased by 8% from 2022 to 8 quads in
2023. Natural gas plant liquids production has increased by 143% since 2013.”
“Energy production from renewable sources increased 1%
from 2022 to a record 8 quads in 2023, a 28% increase since 2013. Solar energy
production grew by 15% last year, reaching almost 1 quad, and biomass energy
production grew nearly 2% to more than 5 quads. Wind production fell last year
by 2% to about 1.5 quads, with wind speeds slower last year.”
The graphs below clearly show the positive results of
domestic oil and gas production for replacing coal, thereby lowering carbon
emissions, air pollution, and potential water pollution very significantly.
Some other
interesting observations from these graphs reveal some interesting facts. Firstly,
natural gas plant liquids such as ethane, propane, butane, and isobutane
produce as much energy as all renewables combined. Secondly, and this is very
important to note, biomass in the form of wood, waste, and biofuels combustion
resulted in 60% of the total renewables production (see 2nd graph).
Solar consumption represents just 11% of total renewables consumption and wind consumption
represents just 17% of total renewables consumption. Thus, 27% of total
renewables consumption came from wind and solar. We consumed double the amount
of energy from burning wood alone than we did from solar and about the same
amount of energy from wood and waste combined as from wind and solar combined.
Clearly, the energy transition remains very challenging and unrealistic in the
near term.
Wind generation
actually declined in 2023 for the first time since the 1990s. One reason was
slower wind speeds. Wind capacity factors have increased modestly since 2010
from about 30% to about 34% but have remained pretty flat since 2013.
References:
U.S.
energy production exceeded consumption by record amount in 2023. Energy
Information Administration. Today in Energy. June 26, 2024 (Re-published
December 31, 2024). U.S. energy
production exceeded consumption by record amount in 2023 - U.S. Energy
Information Administration (EIA)
Table
10.1 Renewable Energy Production and Consumption by Source. EIA. Microsoft
Word - MER_S10
Wind
generation declined in 2023 for the first time since the 1990s. EIA. April 30,
2024. Wind
generation declined in 2023 for the first time since the 1990s - U.S. Energy
Information Administration (EIA)
Range Resources: Company Presentation. October 2024. PowerPoint Presentation
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