Energy: Where does it come from? Where does it go? [Graphic]
Each year, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory publishes a powerful graphic of U.S. energy use. In the most recent version, one can see how the ~97 quadrillion british-thermal units (quads) of energy used in the United States can be broken down by uses and sectors.
By Melissa C. Lott
This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
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Each year, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory publishes a powerful graphic of U.S. energy use. In the most recent version, one can see how the ~97 quadrillion british-thermal units (quads) of energy used in the United States can be broken down by uses and sectors. This total consumption represnts a 2.4% increase in energy use compared to 2012 and is still slightly less than energy use in 2010.
Overall, just under 60% of primary energy resources were rejected, often as "waste heat." Almost 92% of coal was used for electricity generation, with the remaining 8% being used directly by industry. As shown along the bottom of the chart, about 92% of the 27 quads used for transportation was supplied by petroleum.
Photo Credit: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)
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