Line Graph-U.S. Energy Consumption by Fuel

Vocabulary

What do the words in bold below mean? Make some notes on paper to aid memory and then check below.

The line chart details fuel consumption from 1980 to 2030 in the United States. Looking from an overall perspective, it is readily apparent that petrol and oil have been and will continue to be the dominant fuel sources, followed by coal and natural gas, and more distantly by renewable energies. All varieties of fuel have increased and are expected to continue rising with the exception of hydropower which will remain stable overall.

Petrol and oil consumption stood at 35 quadrillion units in 1980 before a slight dip with minor fluctuations around 33 million quadrillion units until approximately 2000. From that point on, a steadier rise begins that is anticipated to reach nearly 50 quadrillion by 2030, by far the greatest data point in the chart. Coal and natural gas were considerably lower and displayed broadly similar trends. Natural gas began the period at 20 quadrillion units and coal was 4 quadrillion lower. Over the following years, the figures were erratic and their relative positions in the chart switched several times until coal began to separate itself around 2015, predicted to finish around 8 quadrillion units higher than natural gas at 30 quadrillion.

The consumption of cleaner energy sources was less significant with nuclear the highest, rising to just over 6 quadrillion by the end of the projections. Solar and wind power are slightly lower at near 5 quadrillion and hydropower underwent minor fluctuations to finish around 4 quadrillion units.