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Annual Energy Review

September 2012  PDF | previous editions
Release Date: September 27, 2012

Table E1. Estimated Primary Energy Consumption in the United States, Selected Years, 1635-1945 (Quadrillion Btu)
Table E1.  Estimated Primary Energy Consumption in the United States, Selected Years, 1635-1945
                      (Quadrillion Btu)




Year		 Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy

Electricity
Net
Imports



Total


Coal
Natural
Gas

Petroleum

Total		 Conventional
Hydroelectric
Power		 Biomass

Total
Wood 1
1635 NA – – – – NA – – (s) (s) – – (s)
1645 NA – – – – NA – – 0.001 0.001 – – 0.001
1655 NA – – – – NA – – .002 .002 – – .002
1665 NA – – – – NA – – .005 .005 – – .005
1675 NA – – – – NA – – .007 .007 – – .007
1685 NA – – – – NA – – .009 .009 – – .009
1695 NA – – – – NA – – .014 .014 – – .014
1705 NA – – – – NA – – .022 .022 – – .022
1715 NA – – – – NA – – .037 .037 – – .037
1725 NA – – – – NA – – .056 .056 – – .056
1735 NA – – – – NA – – .080 .080 – – .080
1745 NA – – – – NA – – .112 .112 – – .112
1755 NA – – – – NA – – .155 .155 – – .155
1765 NA – – – – NA – – .200 .200 – – .200
1775 NA – – – – NA – – .249 .249 – – .249
1785 NA – – – – NA – – .310 .310 – – .310
1795 NA – – – – NA – – .402 .402 – – .402
1805 NA – – – – NA – – .537 .537 – – .537
1815 NA – – – – NA – – .714 .714 – – .714
1825 NA – – – – NA – – .960 .960 – – .960
1835 NA – – – – NA – – 1.305 1.305 – – 1.305
1845 NA – – – – NA – – 1.757 1.757 – – 1.757
1850 0.219 – – – – 0.219 – – 2.138 2.138 – – 2.357
1855 .421 – – – – .421 – – 2.389 2.389 – – 2.810
1860 .518 – – 0.003 .521 – – 2.641 2.641 – – 3.162
1865 .632 – – .010 .642 – – 2.767 2.767 – – 3.409
1870 1.048 – – .011 1.059 – – 2.893 2.893 – – 3.952
1875 1.440 – – .011 1.451 – – 2.872 2.872 – – 4.323
1880 2.054 – – .096 2.150 – – 2.851 2.851 – – 5.001
1885 2.840 0.082 .040 2.962 – – 2.683 2.683 – – 5.645
1890 4.062 .257 .156 4.475 0.022 2.515 2.537 – – 7.012
1895 4.950 .147 .168 5.265 .090 2.306 2.396 – – 7.661
1900 6.841 .252 .229 7.322 .250 2.015 2.265 – – 9.587
1905 10.001 .372 .610 10.983 .386 1.843 2.229 – – 13.212
1910 12.714 .540 1.007 14.261 .539 1.765 2.304 – – 16.565
1915 13.294 .673 1.418 15.385 .659 1.688 2.347 0.002 17.734
1920 15.504 .813 2.676 18.993 .738 1.610 2.348 .003 21.344
1925 14.706 1.191 4.280 20.177 .668 1.533 2.201 .004 22.382
1930 13.639 1.932 5.897 21.468 .752 1.455 2.207 .005 23.680
1935 10.634 1.919 5.675 18.228 .806 1.397 2.203 .005 20.436
1940 12.535 2.665 7.760 22.960 .880 1.358 2.238 .007 25.205
1945 15.972 3.871 10.110 29.953 1.442 1 1.261 2.703 .009 32.665
1There is a discontinuity in the "Wood" time series between 1945 and 1949.  Through 1945, data are for
fuelwood only; beginning in 1949, data are for wood and wood-derived fuels (see Table 10.1).		 Notes:  ·  For years not shown, there are no data available.  ·  See Tables 1.3 and 10.1 for continuation
of these data series from 1949 forward.  ·  See Note, "Geographic Coverage of Statistics for 1635–1945,"
at end of section.
NA=Not available.  – – =Not applicable.  (s)=Less than 0.0005 quadrillion Btu.   Sources:  Coal, Natural Gas, and Petroleum:  Energy in the American Economy, 1850-1975, Table VII.
 Conventional Hydroelectric Power:  Energy in the American Economy, 1850-1975, Table II.  Wood:
·  1635-1845:  U.S. Department of Agriculture Circular No. 641, Fuel Wood Used in the United States
1630-1930, February 1942.  This source estimates fuelwood consumption in cords per decade, which were
converted to Btu using the conversion factor of 20 million Btu per cord.  The annual average value for each
decade was assigned to the fifth year of the decade on the assumption that annual use was likely to
increase during any given decade and the average annual value was more likely to reflect mid-decade
yearly consumption than use at either the beginning or end of the decade.  Values thus begin in 1635 and
are plotted at 10-year intervals.  ·  1850-1945:  Energy in the American Economy, 1850-1975, Table VII. 
Electricity Net Imports:  Energy in the American Economy, 1850-1975, Tables I and VI.  Calculated as the
difference between hydroelectric consumption and hydroelectric production times 3,412 Btu per
kilowatthour.
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