Energy Transitions in U.S. History
Discover major observations, findings, and insights from over 200 years of U.S. energy history
Energy Transitions
Understanding historical shifts in U.S. energy consumption
U.S. energy history is not just a story of growth
As we think about future transformations, it's important to realize that we have already experienced changes as momentous as anything proposed today. Coal, for example, has been through a rollercoaster evolution: it began as a minor fuel, rose to become the main energy source in every sector in the early 1900s, then was replaced in most sectors almost completely by oil and natural gas.
The U.S. was only able to move beyond farming when railroads made coal widely available
For most of the 1800s, the U.S. had essentially no industry. We were a rural, farming nation; our only real exports were cash crops like cotton, wheat, and tobacco. Industry developed only after the Civil War when the expanding railroad network could carry coal throughout the country.
The U.S. is currently in the middle of an energy transition
Fracking, which made natural gas cheap, has produced a transition in electricity as important as past historical transitions. Coal use has dropped by half in just over a decade and coal mines are shutting down. Since 2005, U.S. per capita energy use has shrunk by 13%, about half of which is due to this increase in generation efficiency.
The U.S. has been electrifying for a long time — except in transportation
Since Edison's first sales of electricity in 1882, an ever-increasing fraction of U.S. primary energy has been converted to electricity before end use: 2% in the 1910s, over 20% in the 1970s, and now 34% in 2019. Every sector has become more electrified except transportation, where use of electricity actually fell.
How Much Energy Do We Use?
Patterns and comparisons in energy consumption
The U.S. has a long history of wastefulness
In 1800, Americans were about as wealthy as Europeans but used about four times as much energy per person, mostly because households burned enormous amounts of wood. In 2019, Americans still use around twice as much energy per person as contemporaries like the British or French with similar wealth levels.
Modern farming is not especially energy-wasteful
Modern industrialized agriculture actually uses less energy per capita than farming in the 1800s, because of the high energy needs of the horses that pulled farm equipment. Unlike a tractor, a horse cannot be turned off when not working.
Lessons About Energy Transitions
What history teaches us about energy crises and transitions
Financial crises (the Great Depression of the 1930s and the Great Recession of 2008) and energy crises (the 1970s oil embargo) appear similar in magnitude, but their long-term effects differ dramatically. Understanding these patterns helps us prepare for and manage future energy transitions.