Before the late 1800s, wood was the major, if not only, source of energy for cooking, heating, and lighting purposes in the United States. We transitioned to fossil fuels -- namely coal, oil, and natural gasses -- thereafter and up until the 1990s. As of 2021, renewable energy was at record highs in usage percentages. Preliminary data from a study conducted in April 2022, showed that renewable energy encompassed 12% of energy consumption. As for the future of United States energy consumption, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicts that U.S. renewable energy consumption will continue on its increasing trend through 2050 ("Renewable Energy").
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There are multiple reasons why countries have been switching directly to renewables as a primary source of energy. According to an analysis report by TransitionZero, a London-based climate analytics non-profit, it no longer makes financial sense to use natural gas as a transition between coal energy and renewable energy. Due to the sudden decrease in the cost of renewable energy investment, countries have begun switching from coal directly to renewable energy. Fluctuating gas prices, COVID-19’s economic impact, and the Russian-Ukraine war have substantially undermined the natural gas industry. Substantially lowered CO2 emissions from clean energy and a 99 percent plunge in the cost of the actual switch since 2010 are also reasons why countries have expedited their switch to renewable energy (Fogarty).
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