According to the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA), fossil fuels such as natural gas, petroleum and coal have accounted for at least 80% of the domestic energy consumption for over a century, even though the fossil fuel share of the total energy consumption in 2017 was the lowest ever since 1902 and was slightly higher than 80%.
This share decreased in 2017 for the third year in a row, driven by minor decreases in natural gas and coal consumption. The US coal consumption peaked in 2005 and has dropped by 40% since then. In 2017, it fell by 2.5%, even though the decrease was even larger in 2015 and 2016 (13.5% and 8.5%, respectively). Natural gas consumption declined by 1.4% in 2017, which is an upturn compared with the previous decade. Over the 2005-2017 period, natural gas consumption jumped by 24%. Petroleum consumption rose in 2017 but is still 10% lower than its 2005 peak consumption level. The share of renewable energies (hydropower, biomass, wind, solar, etc.) in energy consumption stood at 11% in 2017, the highest since the late 1910s.
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