The IER interactive energy calculator is an illustration of the various resources on which the country depends and the ways in which we put them to work to drive the economy and improve American quality of life. The left column represents energy sources and the right column represents how the energy is used. To see the distribution of the use of coal, for example, place your cursor above the “Coal” section of the left column. The right column will then show a percentage breakdown of the sectors for which coal is used.
What We Use & How We Use It
In the U.S. we get our energy from a variety of sources. Fossil fuels account for the vast majority.
| ENERGY SOURCE | PERCENT OF U.S. SUPPLY |
|---|---|
| Fossil Fuels | 84.9% |
| - Coal | 22.4% |
| - Natural Gas | 23.3% |
| - Oil | 39.2% |
| Nuclear | 8.3% |
| Renewables | 6.7% |
| - Hydropower | 2.4% |
| - Biomass | 3.6% |
| - Geothermal | 0.3% |
| - Wind | 0.3% |
| - Solar | 0.08% |







