Non-Fossil Fuels Provide 21% of US Energy in 2020, Highest Since Early 1900s- Energy Dept.

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st July, 2021) Nuclear power and renewables supplied more than 20 percent of the energy used in the United States last year, a level not seen for non-fossil fuels in the past century, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Thursday.

"Fossil fuels - specifically petroleum, natural gas, and coal - accounted for 79 percent of total US energy consumption in 2020. About 21 percent of US energy consumption in 2020 came from non-fossil fuel sources such as renewables and nuclear - the highest share since the early 1900s," an EIA report said.

Among US non-fossil fuel energy sources, renewable energy consumption increased from 11.4 quadrillion British thermal units (quads) in 2019 to a record high of 11.6 quads in 2020. Renewable energy was the only U.S. fuel source whose share of total energy consumption increased in 2020, the report added.

In the early 20th century, hydropower provided the biggest source of energy in the United States with wood a distant second, according to reports.