1. In 2015, world primary energy consumption was ~18 TW, world population was ~7.3 B, hence world per capita energy consumption was ~2.5 kW/person. US energy consumption was ~3.3 TW, US population was ~321.4 M, hence U.S. per capita energy consumption was ~10.3 kW/person.
2. Kelly M.J.: Lessons from technology development for energy and sustainability. MRS Energy Sustain. A Rev. J. 3(E3), 1–13 (2016).
3. Hausman W.J., Hertner P., and Wilkins M.: Global Electrification: Multinational Enterprise and International Finance in the History of Light and Power, 1878–2007 (Cambridge University Press, U.K., 2008).
4. From the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the percentage of primary energy consumed for electricity in 2016 was ~40% (U.S. Department of Energy, 2016, https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=us_energy_home). Subtracting from this the primary energy wasted during generation (~62% of electricity is generated from hydrocarbons at ~37% efficiency) and transmission/distribution (at approximately 95% efficiency), gives ~30% of actual end-use electricity consumption.
5. Figure based on Fouquet, R.: Long run demand for energy services: Income and price elasticities over 200 years. Rev. Environ. Econ. Pol. 8(2), 186–207 (2014). Heat, power and light: Revolutions in energy services. Edward Elgar Publishing, with additions by R. Fouquet.