For decades, more energy has meant more fuel: fossil fuels. But nuclear fuel-unlike coal, oil, or even natural uranium-is a feat of engineering, not a commodity extracted from the earth. Now, "more" means more engineering-to boost uranium density or to close the fuel cycle. Before the "age of steam" (and not that long ago), wood provided almost all of the energy consumed in the United States, according to Energy Information Administration statistics. When the nation was founded in 1776, energy consumption amounted to about a quarter of one percent of the total energy consumed in 2022 (100.4 quads, or quadrillion [10~(15)] Btus). Fossil fuel extraction fueled increased consumption, which in turn fueled demand for extraction. Burning of coal, then petroleum, then natural gas surged until fossil fuels provided over 93 percent of U.S. energy in the 1960s, before nuclear power started to make inroads.
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