Energy balance of the United States
The most important figure in the energy balance of the United States is the total consumption of4.085 trillion kWh
of electric energy per year. Per capita this is an average of 12,011 kWh.The United States of America could be self-sufficient with domestically produced energy. The total production of all electric energy producing facilities is 4.3 tn kWh, which is 104 percent of the country's own usage. Despite this, the United States of America trades energy with foreign countries. Along with pure consumption, the production, imports and exports play an important role.
Back to overview: United States
Energy production and consumption
| Electricity | total/year | United States per capita | EU per capita |
|---|---|---|---|
| Own consumption | 4.085 tn kWh | 12,010.79 kWh | 5,577.70 kWh |
| Production | 4.257 tn kWh | 12,516.80 kWh | 5,960.58 kWh |
| Import | 38.87 bn kWh | 114.30 kWh | 899.97 kWh |
| Export | 19.87 bn kWh | 58.42 kWh | 905.90 kWh |
| Crude Oil | Barrel/year | United States per capita | EU per capita |
| Own consumption | 7.41 bn bbl | 21.793 bbl | 8.936 bbl |
| Production | 7.65 bn bbl | 22.486 bbl | 0.606 bbl |
In 2021 there were still 38.21 bn barrels of recoverable but not yet used crude oil reserves in the currently known deposits of the United States. Worldwide, there are still proved oil reserves totaling around 3.4 tn billion barrels. The United States therefore has a share of 1.13% and ranks 11th out of 100 countries with crude oil reserves.
| Natural Gas | Cubic meters/year | United States per capita | EU per capita |
|---|---|---|---|
| Own consumption | 920.47 bn m³ | 2,706.38 m³ | 744.86 m³ |
| Production | 1.072 tn m³ | 3,151.91 m³ | 89.38 m³ |
| Import | 82.92 bn m³ | 243.79 m³ | 881.84 m³ |
| Export | 215.48 bn m³ | 633.56 m³ | 222.66 m³ |
CO₂ emissions
The following figures apply to the year 2024 and refer to CO₂ equivalents, i.e. they also include other greenhouse gases such as methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O) and fluorinated gases. Their quantities were converted into CO₂ equivalents in order to make them comparable with the effects of pure CO₂. The data comes from the European Commission's "Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research" (EDGAR).| CO₂ emissions in 2024/year | United States per capita | EU per capita | |
|---|---|---|---|
| total | 5.91 bn t | 17.38 t | 7.03 t |
| › thereof electricity and heat generation | 1.50 bn t | 4.40 t | 1.33 t |
| › thereof transportation | 1.70 bn t | 5.01 t | 1.76 t |
| › thereof fuel exploitation | 721.89 m t | 2.12 t | 0.45 t |
| › thereof non-industrial combustion | 571.43 m t | 1.68 t | 0.99 t |
| › thereof agriculture | 402.05 m t | 1.18 t | 0.85 t |
| › thereof manufacturing industry | 447.47 m t | 1.32 t | 0.72 t |
| › thereof industrial processes (steel, cement, etc.) | 411.46 m t | 1.21 t | 0.65 t |
| › thereof waste management | 159.46 m t | 0.47 t | 0.29 t |
Development of CO₂ emissions from 1970 to 2024 in megatons
See also: CO₂ equivalents by country
Production capacities per energy source
The given production capacities for electric energy for the year 2023 have a theoretical value, which can only be obtained under ideal conditions. They are measuring the generatable amount of energy, that would be reached under permanent and full use of all capacities of all power plants.In practice this isn't possible, because e.g. solar collectors are less efficient under clouds. Also wind- and water-power plants are not always operating under full load. All these values are only useful in relation to other energy sources or countries.
The percentage share stated in the table therefore refers to the share of total production - not to the share of theoretical total capacities, as such a comparison would not be meaningful.
| Energy source | total in the United States/year | Percentage in the United States | Percentage EU | per capita in the United States | per capita EU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fossil fuels | 2.507 tn kWh | 58.9 % | 33.1 % | 7,372.39 kWh | 1,972.95 kWh |
| Nuclear power | 774.79 bn kWh | 18.2 % | 22.1 % | 2,278.06 kWh | 1,317.29 kWh |
| Solar energy | 238.40 bn kWh | 5.6 % | 9.2 % | 700.94 kWh | 548.37 kWh |
| Wind power | 421.45 bn kWh | 9.9 % | 17.7 % | 1,239.16 kWh | 1,055.02 kWh |
| Water power | 238.40 bn kWh | 5.6 % | 11.7 % | 700.94 kWh | 697.39 kWh |
| Geothermics | 17.03 bn kWh | 0.4 % | 0.2 % | 50.07 kWh | 11.92 kWh |
| Biomass | 55.34 bn kWh | 1.3 % | 6.0 % | 162.72 kWh | 357.63 kWh |
Trend towards renewable energies
Worldwide, there is a clearly noticeable but slow shift towards renewable energy, such as solar and wind power, and also geothermal energy. Just 20 years ago, about half of the energy in the U.S. came from burning coal. While most European countries are switching to renewable energy, in the U.S., it has been replaced mainly by natural gas production – another fossil fuel. There are hardly any state subsidy programs for the use of renewable energy in the USA. Instead, individual states (especially California) decided to adopt regional subsidy policies. President Trump initially prioritized nuclear power and coal mining, but natural gas production became increasingly viable. Also, since the 1973 oil crisis, the fact that the oil and gas reserves located primarily in Texas will soon be depleted has been kept in mind.In terms of wind and solar power, the U.S. has a significant advantage due to its geography. Large stretches of land in the interior are uninhabited and are suitable for large-scale photovoltaic and wind energy farms. In the sunny states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida and New Mexico, several energy companies have decided to shut down old coal-fired power plants rather than replace them with natural gas power plants. Instead, they are relying on huge wind and solar farms for cost reasons. Tucson Electric Power plans to close all coal-fired power plants by 2031. With over 300,000 terawatts of capacity, wind energy currently accounts for the largest share of renewable energy.
However, a problem, especially in the vast country of the United States, is the significant line losses that occur when electricity is transported through cables over hundreds or even thousands of kilometers. While steppes, deserts and salt lakes lend themselves to large-scale wind farms and power plants, consumers are located far away. Common overhead lines have a voltage of 380 kV over long distances. Depending on the distance between the lines and the insulation, there are still losses in the single-digit percentage range per 100 km.
Usage of renewable energies
Renewable energy includes wind, solar, biomass and geothermal energy sources. This means all energy sources that renew themselves within a short time or are permanently available. Energy from hydropower is only partly a renewable energy. This is certainly the case with river or tidal power plants. Otherwise, numerous dams or reservoirs also produce mixed forms, e.g. by pumping water into their reservoirs at night and recovering energy from them during the day when there is an increased demand for electricity. Since it is not possible to clearly determine the amount of generated energy, all energy from hydropower is displayed separately.In 2021, renewable energy accounted for around 10.9 percent of actual total consumption in the United States. The following chart shows the percentage share from 1990 to 2021:
Data sources
- Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR), Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2025, doi:10.2760/4002897, JRC138862
- Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (2025)
- United States, Office of Public Affairs (2024)
- OPEC, Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (2022)
- IRENA, International Renewable Energy Agency (2022)