The United States and Energy in 13 images

Updated on 03.09.2026

5 min read

Middle School High School

History, geography and geopolitics

1. From Colonel Drake to Elon Musk: the Long Road to Energy Transition

For a century and a half, oil shaped the American economy, and indeed the global economy. Edwin Drake is considered to be the man who drilled the first real oil well on 27 August 1859 in the Oil Creek field in Pennsylvania (photo). Today, renewable energies, electric mobility and artificial intelligence are at the heart of the development of the superpower that the United States has become. Engineer and entrepreneur Elon Musk is one of the symbols of this new era.

2. Shale Hydrocarbons have Made the United States the World's Leading Producer

The exploitation of and oil (photo) in the late 2000s has revolutionised the American energy equation and changed the geopolitics of the world. These hydrocarbons, extracted using a controversial technique known as , have enabled the United States to become the world's leading producer of crude oil and natural gas, ahead of both Saudi Arabia and Russia. In 2015, the United States began exporting .

Cargo passant devant l'usine de gaz naturel liquéfié de Port Arthur, au Texas.

3. The United States has Become a Major Exporter of LNG to Europe

Transporting LNG by is much more flexible than point-to-point pipeline deliveries. The Texas coast, on the Gulf of Mexico, has been equipped with numerous gas plants where ships come to load their cargo. Pictured is the Port Arthur plant. The United States is also exporting more and more oil, which was once prohibited by law in the name of energy security.

German energy terminal on the Baltic Sea

4. Europe's Dependence on American Gas is Becoming Increasingly Apparent

At the other end of the chain, LNG is regasified and fed back into local gas networks. The European Union is importing more and more American LNG to compensate for Russian gas, which has been almost completely cut off since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Numerous port terminals and regasification units have been built on European coasts. The photo shows a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) in the port of Mukran on the island of Rügen, off the coast of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in the Baltic Sea.

5. The Era of Boom Towns

This has been a tradition in the United States since the conquest of the West and the gold rush! Since 2007, shale gas has been driving strong growth, boosting property prices and consumption in new extraction areas. In the small town of Williston, North Dakota, where 10,000 wells have been drilled in just a few years, the population has doubled, the town has become a huge construction site, and services, shops and entertainment venues have multiplied.

6. Coal, Supplanted by Gas, Remains an Abundant and Exportable Resource.

Mines generally evoke deep mining. In the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia, seams outcrop at the top of the mountains and mining companies operate open-pit mines after levelling the peaks with explosives (photo). However, shale hydrocarbons have reduced coal's share of production to below 50%. This development has enabled the United States to reduce its emissions.

7. Wind Turbines Stand Firm in the Face of President Trump's Policy

With its vast expanses of land, the United States has developed on a large scale. Since 2020, it has turned its attention to offshore wind power. Although President Trump, re-elected in 2024, suspended several projects, companies in the sector fought back and won victories in court. While waiting for offshore contributions, California and the entire Pacific coast, Texas and the central states (Oklahoma, Iowa, Kansas, Colorado) are at the forefront in terms of . Pictured is a wind farm in Colorado City, Texas.

A leader in concentrated solar power .jpg

8. The United States, Leader in Solar Thermal Energy

China and the United States are now driving the global solar energy boom, taking over from Europe. The United States ranks first, ahead of Spain, in solar thermal energy, which captures the sun's to generate electricity. The photo shows the world's largest power plant, Ivanpah in California: 173,000 mirrors covering 13 km², with a capacity of nearly 400 MW.

9. The Ongoing Search for Innovation in The Biofuel Sector

The considerable resources of American research are being devoted to innovation in all areas. Presented a few years ago by the American space agency NASA, the OMEGA project is a good example of how technologies can complement each other. It involves cultivating microalgae in plastic bags containing wastewater. The system aims to produce while also municipal wastewater and capturing carbon dioxide in the process.

10. The Revival of Nuclear Power, in Both Fission and Fusion

After a period of stagnation, energy is making a comeback in the United States. New types of small modular reactors (SMRs) are being considered. Researchers are also interested in the promise of fusion. The photo, taken at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, shows the container – called a hohlraum, or ‘hollow chamber’ in German – used in inertial confinement fusion experiments. Fusion research is also being conducted as part of the international ITER project in Cadarache (southern France).

11. The Cult of Big Engines

Pick-up trucks, with their open rear space, and powerful SUVs (sport utility vehicles) have remained an American symbol that has caught on around the world. In a country where petrol is cheap and lightly taxed, families own several cars and drive a lot. But attitudes are changing towards greater efficiency and electric mobility, which produces lower CO₂ emissions.

Tesla electric vehicles charging at charging stations located under solar panels at a Tesla Supercharger station in Santa Monica.

12. Electric Cars are Gradually Gaining Ground, but Less Quickly than in China or Europe

The share of electric vehicles on the road in the United States in 2024 was 2.7%, compared to an average of 4.4% in the European Union. What's more, the electricity used to power them is more carbon-intensive. The Tesla brand, founded by entrepreneur Elon Musk, got off to a flying start, competing directly with Chinese manufacturers... In the photo, a Tesla vehicle is charging at a fast charging station in Santa Monica, California, under a roof made of solar panels.

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13. Americans are Concerned about Climate Change

The increase in extreme weather events, from droughts to floods and tornadoes (here in Garland, Texas), has contributed to a growing public perception that has begun to take effect and poses a real threat. However, climate sceptics remain active, particularly in Republican political circles.