U.S. energy consumption will increase over the next 30 years as population and economic growth outpace gains in energy efficiency, according to projections from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). In its Annual Energy Outlook 2022 (AEO2022), EIA projects that renewable energy will be the fastest-growing source of energy through 2050, but petroleum and liquid fuels will remain the most-consumed source of energy.
“Our baseline case projects that, without changes in laws and regulations, improvements in energy efficiency will slow the pace of growth in U.S. energy consumption, and technological progress and greater resource development will increase energy supply,” said EIA Acting Administrator Steve Nalley. “We look at a variety of cases and compare them to the baseline case to illustrate how the availability of energy resources, the rate of technology advancement, and other factors could shape future U.S. energy markets.”
