Power is extremely important in the United States. It is the driving force behind transportation, industry and so much more. As energy demand continues to grow, production must also increase.
In 2023, the United States used 4,049 terawatt hours of energy. 37% of this energy was used by transportation, 35% by industry, 15% by the residential sector and 13% by commercial entities. In 2050, energy consumption will have increased significantly, requiring at least 5,178 terawatt hours to meet demand.
Electric vehicles and AI are two of the forces causing a spike in energy demand. Rapidly integrating electric vehicles could add an extra 185 terawatt hours to national electricity demand in the next 5 years. When it comes to AI, if every standard Google search becomes an LLM search, it will consume the same amount of electricity as Ireland does per year.
To match growing demand, the United States will need to update its aging infrastructure. This will be a challenging process–replacing the entire electrical grid will cost close to $5 trillion dollars–but will be necessary to stave off significant consequences. Additionally, the United States plans to invest in alternative forms of energy, such as nuclear energy, to meet future consumption.
As energy usage continues to increase, the United States will need to develop more efficient ways to produce and distribute power.
Source: ELSCO