Official Energy Statistics from the U.S. Government
Trends in energy supply and demand are affected by many factors that are difficult to predict, such as energy prices, U.S. economic growth, advances in technologies, changes in weather patterns, and future public policy decisions. It is clear, however, that energy markets are changing gradually in response to such readily observable factors as the higher energy prices that have been experienced since 2000, the greater influence of developing countries on worldwide energy requirements, recently enacted legislation and regulations in the United States, and changing public perceptions of issues related to the use of alternative fuels, emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases, and the acceptability of various energy technologies, among others The Energy Information Administration projects increased consumption of biofuels (both ethanol and biodiesel), growth in coal-to-liquids (CTL) capacity and production, growing demand for unconventional transportation technologies (such as flex-fuel, hybrid, and diesel vehicles), growth in nuclear power capacity and generation, and accelerated improvements in energy efficiency throughout the economy.
Despite the rapid growth projected for biofuels and other nonhydroelectric renewable energy sources and the expectation that orders will be placed for new nuclear power plants for the first time in more than 25 years, oil, coal, and natural gas still are projected to provide roughly the same 86-percent share of the total U.S. primary energy supply in 2030 that they did in 2005 (assuming no changes in existing laws and regulations). The expected rapid growth in the use of biofuels and other nonhydropower renewable energy sources begins from a very low current share oftotal energy use; hydroelectric power production, which accounts for the bulk of current renewable electricity supply, is nearly stagnant; and the share of total electricity supplied from nuclear power falls despite the projected new plant builds, which more than offset retirements, because the overall market for electricity continues to expand rapidly in the projection.