The Greenhouse Gas Impacts of Increased US Oil and Gas Production

High levels of US oil and gas production are projected to increase domestic and global GHG emissions substantially.

Increased oil and natural gas production in the United States has decreased domestic natural gas prices and global oil prices, with major economic and environmental consequences. The resulting greenhouse gas (GHG) impacts have received substantial attention, with most focus on natural gas and relatively little on oil. In this paper, I provide a more comprehensive estimate of how increased production affects these emissions through changes in the US energy mix, associated methane emissions, and—crucially—global oil prices. Under a high oil and gas …

Carbon Capture & Storage in the United States Power Sector

This new report is based on a CATF-led U.S. power sector modeling study, which finds that 45Q federal tax credits for carbon capture & storage (CCS) can have a significant impact on CO2 emissions reductions by 2030.

This report contains estimated levels of CCS deployment in the U.S. power sector as a result of the newly expanded and extended 45Q federal tax credits. The report analyzes the impact of 45Q on CO2 reductions as well as on growth of Enhanced Oil Recovery. For this study, CATF developed robust assumptions for CCS technology costs & performance, which are included in the …

PJM Cold Weather Operations Summary

Following white paper is a summary of the operations that occurred during the week of January 28. The information should be considered preliminary and may be subject to change based on further review. This summary is being provided for of the Operating Committee meeting on February 5, 2019.…

This is a crisis: Facing up to the age of environmental breakdown

Mainstream political and policy debates have failed to recognise that human impacts on the environment have reached a critical stage, potentially eroding the conditions upon which socioeconomic stability is possible.

Human-induced environmental change is occurring at an unprecedented scale and pace and the window of opportunity to avoid catastrophic outcomes in societies around the world is rapidly closing. These outcomes include economic instability, large-scale involuntary migration, conflict, famine and the potential collapse of social and economic systems. The historical disregard of environmental considerations in most areas of policy has been a catastrophic mistake.

In response, this paper argues that three …

BP Energy Outlook 2019 edition

The Energy Outlook explores the forces shaping the global energy transition out to 2040 and the key uncertainties surrounding that transition. It shows how rising prosperity drives an increase in global energy demand and how that demand will be met over the coming decades through a diverse range of supplies including oil, gas, coal and renewables.…

Assessing ride-hailing company commitments to electrification

This briefing assesses electric vehicle adoption among five of the world’s largest ride-hailing companies. It discusses company-specific electric vehicle adoption, examines plans for future growth, and catalogues the unique actions that companies are exploring to promote electric ride-hailing on their platforms.…

Energy in the American Mind

Drawing on a nationally representative survey (N = 1,114; including 966 registered voters), this report describes Americans’ energy-related beliefs, attitudes, consumer behaviors, and support for different energy policies. Among other important results, we found strong bipartisan support for requiring electric utilities to use 100% clean, renewable energy, that a majority of Americans say transitioning to clean, renewable energy will benefit the economy, and that support for renewable energy research has increased by 30 percentage points among conservative Republicans over the past five years.…

Clicking Clean Virginia The Dirty Energy Powering Data Center Alley

San Francisco and “Silicon Valley” may first come to mind when imagining the home of big internet companies, but the physical beating heart of the internet in fact lies on the East Coast, in what has become known as “Data Center Alley” in Northern Virginia. Located just outside Washington, D.C., Data Center Alley is already home to the world’s highest concentration of data centers in the world and is dramatically expanding. Loudoun County Virginia, the center of Data Center Alley, claims 70 percent of the world’s internet traffic passes through its borders.

Data centers serve as factories of the information …

STATES’ RENEWABLE ENERGY AMBITIONS

Renewable energy sources—such as wind, solar and hydropower—account for approximately 17 percent of U.S. electricity generation. Wind and solar have grown rapidly: Since 2006, their annual electricity generation has increased by a factor of 11. State energy policies, such as renewable portfolio standards (RPS), are a major driver of this growth.

Renewable portfolio standards require utilities to meet a growing portion of their electricity needs with renewable sources. Utilities that are subject to these mandates must obtain renewable energy credits or certificates (RECs)—which represent the environmental benefits of one megawatt-hour (MWh) of renewable energy generation. RECS are created when renewable …

State of the Electric Utility Survey 2019

The 2019 State of the Electric Utility Survey is based on an online questionnaire administered to Utility Dive readers in December 2018. More than 525 self-identified electric utility employees, from the U.S. and Canada, took the survey.

This sixth annual survey was designed to illustrate the outlook and opinions of utility professionals. It should not be considered a scientific study.…