The Numbers Of Energy

Let's talk about energy, where it comes from and how we use it. Today, on Engineering Works!

In the United States, we get energy from five sources. Petroleum, natural gas, coal, nuclear power. And what we usually call alternative, or renewable, energy: hydro, or water, power, solar power, wind and biomass.

Petroleum - oil - gives us more than 35 percent of our energy. Almost three-quarters of that goes to transportation. Cars, trucks, trains, aircraft. Natural gas gives us almost a quarter of our energy. Industry uses about a third, and heating our homes and businesses uses another third. And almost another third goes to generate electricity.

Coal gives us almost a-fifth of our energy. About 90-percent of it powers electric generator plants. Small amounts go to heat homes and businesses and to industry. Nuclear power provides about eight percent of our energy. Essentially all of that generates electricity. Renewable energy sources give us less than eight percent of our energy. Half of that generates electricity. Another quarter provides heat for industrial processes.

Okay. So what? Two big things. One: a lot of the energy we use still comes from oil. And two: much as we like to talk about alternative energy, it's not having much of an impact on energy production. Yet.

Our personal energy is gone for today. See you next time.

Engineering Works! is made possible by Texas A&M Engineering and produced by KAMU-FM in College Station. Learn more about engineering. Visit us on the World Wide Web.

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START THE DISCUSSION: Everybody says we need to use more alternative sources of energy. That's true: we do need to start using more, but we've got a long way to go before it's significant. How do we get moving?

FOR MORE:

http://www.eia.doe.gov/aer/overview.html

http://www.eia.doe.gov/aer/pecss diagram.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy in the United States