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As American natural gas production continues to increase, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is considering a greater number of applications from companies interested in exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG). At the same time, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is seeing more applications from companies seeking to build new LNG export terminals and liquefaction facilities. Currently, the U.S. only exports LNG internationally by exporting natural gas imported from other countries, a practice that increased in 2011. So far, nearly all applications to export U.S. LNG to Free Trade Agreement (FTA) countries – eighteen countries including Australia, Canada, Chile, Israel,… [more]
View InsightOn April 17th, US DOE released a report titled An Assessment of Energy Potential at Non-Powered Dams in the United States. The report analyzes the hydroelectric power generating capacity at 54,000 existing dams across the United States, and indicates that fully developing non-powered dams (NPDs) could result in additional generating capacity of more than 12 gigawatts (GW). This would increase current US hydropower capacity by 15% and provide enough energy to power four million households. The report concludes that of the 12 GW of potential capacity, “a majority is concentrated in just 100 NPDs, which could contribute approximately 8 GW… [more]
View InsightLast week, DOE announced plans to continue its provision of loan guarantees for approved renewable energy projects. The announcement comes seven months after the controversy surrounding the agency’s loan to Solyndra, the California-based solar manufacturer which filed bankruptcy after receiving a $535 million DOE loan guarantee. Solyndra’s loan guarantee was administered under a program authorized by Section 1705 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which elapsed in September 2011. The new loans will be directed under a program created by section 1703 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The Section 1703 program has $34 billion in… [more]
View InsightIn 2011 the Obama Administration put out a challenge to utilities: give customers a way to better access and understand their energy use data. The challenge, and its result the “Green Button” initiative, is based on the assumption that the more information consumers have, the smarter they will be about their energy use decisions. Utilities around the country have begun to sign on to the initiative and commit to provide their customers with real-time energy use data. Data provided by utilities through the Green Button initiative will be collected and hosted by the Department of Energy in a standardized format.… [more]
View InsightProfessor of Physics
City College of the City University of New York
For decades many have considered nuclear fusion to be the brass ring of energy technologies, believing that – were it to be successful and commercially viable – it would offer sustained electricity production with no CO2, particulate pollution, or radioactive waste. Research into safely and consistently harnessing fusion’s potential for civil use has been ongoing since the mid-Twentieth Century. Yet to date no viable commercial applications have been developed. Two prominent fusion research efforts – ITER and the National Ignition Facility (NIF) – are facing potential problems. ITER may be at risk of diminished U.S. funding due to tightening Congressional… [more]
View InsightLast week The Economist called attention to growing demand for rare earth minerals, their importance in clean energy technologies, and rising tension over their global supply. Two of these minerals – dysprosium and neodymium – are essential components of the magnets used in wind turbines and electric motors. According to The Economist, for these technologies to play the role expected of them in reducing CO2 emissions, world supply of neodymium and dysprosium would need to increase “more than 700% and 2,600% respectively during the next 25 years.” China, which produces around 90% of the world’s rare earth minerals, has recently… [more]
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A recent report from the Congressional Budget Office found that in 2011 federal support for fuel and energy technology development and production was $24 billion. Of this, $20.5 billion, or 85%, was in the form of “tax preferences—such as special deductions, special tax rates, tax credits, and grants in lieu of tax credits”; the remainder was made up by the Department of Energy’s spending programs. Of the total $24 billion provided in 2011, about $16 billion, or 78%, went toward support of renewables, energy efficiency, and alternative vehicles. According to the report, historically energy-related tax preference support was “primarily… [more]
View InsightAs reported by the New York Times, Envia Systems, a California-based battery manufacturing company, announced yesterday what it calls a “major breakthrough” in battery technology that is “poised to revolutionize cost, range and safety in electric vehicles.” According to Envia’s press release, the breakthrough is a world record 400 Watt hour/kg lithium-ion battery, at a cost of $150 per kilowatt-hour, which is expected to “slash the price of a 300-mile range electric vehicle by cutting the cost of the battery pack by more than 50 percent.” Envia was awarded $4 million by DOE’s ARPA-E in 2009, and later received $7… [more]
View InsightPresident Obama sent his requested FY2013 budget to Congress Monday, and requested, among other energy-related items, significant increases to energy R&D, renewable energy investments, and energy efficiency programs. From the request: “In light of the tight discretionary spending caps, this increase in funding is significant and a testament to the importance of innovation and clean energy to the country’s economic future.” Among the energy-related budget requests: $27.2 billion to the Department of Energy, a 3.2% hike over FY2012 $5 billion for DOE’s Office of Science $2.3 billion for DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy office – a 29% increase –… [more]
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Commercial buildings account for approximately 19% of U.S. energy use. From the late 70’s to the mid-to-late 80’s, the energy use intensity – the energy used per square foot of space – of America’s commercial buildings declined significantly, according to the EIA. However, as of the most recent data, those efficiency gains ceased in 1986, despite technical efficiency improvements in most building elements: windows, materials, HVAC, lighting, etc. The Greater Philadelphia Innovation Cluster for Energy-Efficient Buildings (GPIC), a U.S. DOE Energy Innovation Hub, is working to identify the cause of this gap between building efficiency and technical potential, and address… [more]
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