Energy Consumption Per Capita – Part 3

The United States’ Energy Profile

Contents

1. Introduction

2. Developed Example: The United States

3. Maintaining Energy Security: Looking Forward

4. Concluding Remarks

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Bitesize Edition

• The United States is one of the most advanced nations on the planet. For those who have read the previous two parts of this miniseries, you’ll know energy = life, because I mention it an annoying amount. Last week we saw that India has set itself up for rapid economic growth over the coming decades, and this is being facilitated with fossil fuels.

• The United States finds itself in a different position. They’re diversifying their energy profile with renewable development, and the shale revolution that kicked off in 2014 gave them further options for energy security. Even attitudes towards nuclear seem to be shifting under Biden.

• Looking forward, the United States has undergone industrialization, and some signs point towards the end of the US heyday, such as high government debts and layers of red tape stifling innovation and productivity. The question of where sustained economic growth could come from leads many to think of artificial intelligence. But like any pursuit of human innovation before, it requires energy. Where and how you get this energy in a multipolar world is important as states pivot towards greater self-sufficiency.

• Energy security gives a nation the option to pivot, and to be less susceptible to damage from geopolitical rivals through weaponised supply chains. The trade war is intensifying as I discussed on Monday, but is the United States in a position to avoid some damage in the energy realm due to its diversified energy portfolio if the trade war ever came to this?

• The clean energy transition is also a huge task, especially where the focus on it is the strongest, which is typically developed Western countries. With the United States one such country, why is 81.06% of primary energy consumption still coming from fossil fuels? The idea behind a cleaner world is one many can get behind, including me. However, we have to be realistic. Can 2050 goals be hit at the current pace? Let’s dive into all this below.

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Introduction

In the previous two parts of this miniseries, I’ve explored the energy profiles of Somalia and India. In part 2, I covered lessons that Somalia could learn from India’s rapid economic rise since the 1990s, and how energy would play a part in it. Quick spoiler, India used and still mainly uses fossil fuels in its energy profile, and if underdeveloped countries like Somalia were to find themselves in a position to improve the quality of life for its citizens, it is likely fossil fuels would be the facilitator if they took this pursuit alone.

Now, let’s look at a developed country: The United States. How do we get from developing India with a largely fossil fuel energy profile, to the United States which has an array of energy sources at its disposal? Let’s dive in.

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Developed Example: The United States

Since the dataset began in 1990 and before this, the United States has seen 100% of its population have access to electricity and clean fuels for cooking. As a developed nation, this is expected. Still, there are some interesting takeaways from exploring the US energy profile.

Energy use per person in the United States sits at 78,754 kWh per person. Using last week’s example, 1 kWh powers a 100-watt lightbulb for 10 hours. So each person in the United States could power a 100-watt lightbulb for 787,540 hours, or 32814 days, or 89.9 years. A stark difference from Somalians being able to power the same lightbulb for 2170 hours, or 90 days. These are the quality-of-life differences that ample, diverse, secure energy supply and the infrastructure that allows it can bring. It’s why when many in developed countries flick a light switch on, or turn on a plug to charge our phones or turn on the TV, it’s completely taken for granted.  

Per capita electricity generation sits at 12,497 kWh per person.

Electricity generation sits at 4249.05TWh.

The interesting point in my opinion is these charts seemingly stagnating. India was sharply rising, but the United States has found itself in a position where its entire population has access to electricity and clean fuels for cooking. So where do they go from here? Is stagnation of these per capita datasets inevitable as the entire population accesses electricity and clean fuels, or are they a function of population growth?