As the US tight oil and gas boom continues, reliance on Canadian crude oil and gas softens. Robust US production also sparked a vibrant export discussion, which could eventually see Canadian and US companies competing for customers and market share. “The protracted controversy over the Keystone XL Pipeline project has focused a great deal of public attention on a single aspect of our energy relationship with Canada, while obscuring other aspects that are beginning to shift. Adding a new competitive overlay to our long-standing energy supply chains could ultimately increase North American leverage on OPEC’s pricing power, while helping to develop a deeper and more flexible global market for LNG, with resulting environmental benefits.” [The Energy Collective]

Boeing is seeking US government approval to utilize biofuel to power its aircraft. “The fuel produces less than half the carbon dioxide emissions over its life cycle than fossil fuels and will cost about $3 a gallon in the U.S., Chicago-based Boeing said today in a statement.” [Bloomberg News]

A new HIS study sees tremendous upside for energy storage technologies in the US over the medium term. The firm estimates annual installations could reach 6 GW by 2017, up from 340 MW of commercial grid-connected energy storage systems in 2012 and 2013. “According to the report, lithium-ion batteries will account for 64% of energy storage installations between 2012 and 2017. However, opportunities also exist for other storage technologies, including sodium sulfur, sodium nickel chloride, flywheels, flow batteries and alternative compressed-air energy storage systems in the long term.” [Solar Industry Magazine]