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On 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 InsightThis month OPEC, the intergovernmental affiliation of twelve oil-producing countries, released two different estimates for its members’ monthly crude production. The first estimated 31.2m b/d in February, and relied on secondary sources, as OPEC estimates have traditionally done since 1986. The significantly higher second estimate of 32.1m b/d relied on direct internal reporting from OPEC member countries. The estimates’ disparity casts doubt on the accuracy of OPEC’s reporting. OPEC accounts for 44% of world oil supply. In an article for Platts, Richard Swann explains “OPEC crude production estimates are undoubtedly among the world’s most important pieces of oil market data.… [more]
View InsightOn Tuesday, President Obama outlined a package of efforts his administration is pursuing to ensure that energy traders are not responsible for “market manipulation” that drives up the cost of oil and consequently gasoline. President Obama called on Congress to “pass a package of measures to crack down on illegal activity and hold accountable those who manipulate the market for private gain at the expense of millions of working families.” Specifically, Obama suggested that Congress should provide funding to better police energy trading, and policing of those investors usually go for stock apps when trading online. He suggested that Congress… [more]
View InsightLast week the EIA reported that natural gas-fired power generation will increase by as much as 17% in 2012, while coal is expected to decrease 10%. This shift away from coal and toward natural gas is largely tied to gas’ low price, as well as projections of the impacts of increasingly strict federal regulation on power plants. In March, natural gas spot prices averaged $2.18MMBtu, their lowest level since 1999. Then on April 11th, the NYMEX May gas futures contract settled at a 10-year low of $1.984/MMBtu [EIA]. Despite low gas prices, some utilities express hesitancy about over-committing to gas-generated… [more]
View InsightLast week President Obama signed an executive order to coordinate the Administration’s activities on natural gas development. The order will convene the Interagency Working Group to Support Safe and Responsible Development of Unconventional Domestic Natural Gas Resources, and will bring together at least 13 federal agencies. The working group will coordinate interagency policy, work to share scientific, environmental, technical and economic information, and engage in long term planning with regards to research, natural resource assessment, and the development of infrastructure. The order states that “States are the primary regulators of onshore oil and gas activities,” but that “the Federal Government… [more]
View InsightTo date, no offshore wind farms have operated in the United States. However, several projects under consideration or development could change that. In February, the federal government completed an environmental review of designated “wind energy areas” off the mid-Atlantic coast, and found that lease sales for wind energy would not create environmental problems. This finding may facilitate the sale of wind energy leases off the coasts of Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and Delaware as early as this year. [New York Times] The Cape Wind Project, a wind farm off Massachusetts’ Cape Cod, could be the first operational offshore wind energy… [more]
View InsightSome analysts have projected gasoline prices to go as high as $5/gallon over the coming months, noting a world-wide crunch of spare oil production capacity, rising demand from developing countries, and typically high U.S. demand during summer months. Recently, however, some analysts have suggested that U.S. gasoline prices may have peaked for 2012, and recent surveys from AAA and DOE suggest gas prices have slipped this week, which may in part be a result of worse-than-expected economic news out of the U.S., Europe, and China. The national average retail price for a gallon of gasoline was $3.90 as of April… [more]
View InsightOn March 15, members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent letters to the Treasury and Energy departments requesting information on the number of energy jobs created by a tax grant program authorized by Section 1603 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The letters received no response, leading House Speaker John Boehner to say on March 29 that “More than $10 billion – that’s with a ‘b’ – $10 billion has been spent on this, and [Energy] Secretary Chu said it created ‘tens of thousands of jobs,’ except there’s no evidence to support that.” (The Hill) An NREL… [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]
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