What You Need To Know About Energy
Our Energy Sources
Emerging Technologies
No matter how the U.S. energy portfolio changes, an increasing share of future needs will be met by energy-conversion and energy-demand technologies now in the research or development stage. Some will require substantial improvements—or even research breakthroughs—to have a major impact on our energy budget.
Some options are described below. Whether and to what extent any of these technologies ultimately contributes to changing our energy future will depend on many factors, from advances in technology development to the priorities reflected in government policy.
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Energy Hands-on
Understanding Efficiency
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Energy savings through lighting technologyOur Energy System
A visualization of all our energy sourcesEnergy Defined
- Natural Gas
A gas mixture that occurs naturally in underground deposits. It is composed primarily of methane and may contain other hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide. Commonly employed as a fuel for electricity generation, it is also used for space heating, industrial processes, and as a starting material for the manufacture of chemicals and other products.
National Academies
Search the National Academies Press website by selecting one of these related terms.
Source Material
- America’s Energy Future: Technology and Transformation (2009)
- Liquid Transportation Fuels from Coal and Biomass: Technological Status, Costs, and Environmental Impacts (2009)
- Review of the Research Program of the FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership: Second Report (2008)
- Review of DOE’s Nuclear Energy Research and Development Program (2007)
