Petroleum and natural gas are the most-used fuels in the United States through 2050

In our Annual Energy Outlook 2022 (AEO2022) Reference case, we project that U.S. energy consumption will grow through 2050, primarily driven by population and economic growth. In this case, which reflects only current laws and regulations, renewable energy is the fastest-growing energy source through 2050, and petroleum remains the largest share of energy consumption throughout that period, followed by natural gas.