EIA: Fossil fuels 80 percent of US energy mix since 1900

Forms of energy have changed significantly throughout the history of the United States, yet the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports three fossil fuel sources – petroleum, natural gas and coal – have made up at least 80 percent of all energy consumption in the U.S. in the past century. Increases in domestic production of petroleum liquids and natural gas prompted shifts between the uses of fossil fuels, but the predominance of these three energy sources is likely to continue into the future.

In recent years, natural gas has seen increases in consumption, while petroleum consumption has decreased. Renewable energy is a small but growing piece of the U.S. energy mix. The greatest growth in renewables today is solar and wind power. EIA also notes geothermal and biomass as other renewables.