Science Fact Finder | Energy - Does The United States Currently Produce Enough Energy To Meet Its Consumption Needs?

Does the United States currently produce enough energy to meet its consumption needs?

No. Since 1958 the United States has been consuming more energy than it has been producing. Imported energy makes up the difference.

In 1996, the United States produced 72.610 quadrillion BTUs of energy. (BTU stands for British thermal unit: the quantity of heat needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water by 1° Fahrenheit .) The energy produced in that year was divided among the following sources (in quadrillions of BTUs): coal (22.614); natural gas (19.532); crude oil (13.737); natural gas plant liquids, (2.531); nuclear power (7.168); hydroelectric power (3.591); geothermal energy (heat from the interior of the Earth [.341]); biomass fuel (energy derived from burning plant matter [3.017]); solar energy (.075); and wind energy (.036). Of that energy, 4-69 quadrillion BTUs were exported.

The...

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