On the West Coast of the United States and in Japan, it could be offshore wind power’s best hope. On the U.S. Atlantic Seaboard, some see it as the likely second generation of an industry that’s just getting going. And in Europe, where offshore wind is a significant but expensive source of energy, there’s optimism… Keep reading →
There is, by now, a general consensus that transitioning to a low-carbon economy is critical for mitigating the effects of climate change. Supporting carbon-cutting efforts entails a move away from fossil fuel-fired power generation and concurrently a shift towards low-carbon electricity sources. How much of a country’s energy should come from renewable sources is debatable… Keep reading →
There is enormous market opportunity for grid-scale energy storage solutions on both the power supply and demand side, but historically low US natural gas prices appear to represent a headwind moderating widespread energy storage deployment. Importantly, today’s quote comes from a GE representative whose company is a major manufacturer of “fast-reacting turbines,” and others contend… Keep reading →
Many of the things that arguably make wind and solar less than perfect energy sources don’t seem to trouble geothermal energy. Bird kills, intermittent output, low capacity factors, lack of dispatchability – no issues there with geothermal. Yet while wind and solar have sprinted forward in the past decade in the United States, geothermal has by comparison stood still.… Keep reading →
Photo credit Texas State Comptroller Susan Combs is no fan of the Texas wind energy sector. The state has the largest wind capacity in the U.S., but Combs doesn’t seem to see the benefit of subsidizing wind energy; indeed, her office released a report that details the tax breaks given to wind power and recommends that they… Keep reading →
It’s easy to dismiss solar as a bit energy player. Look at the most recent Energy Information Administration data and you’ll see that utility-scale solar provided around 9.3 terawatt-hours of U.S. electricity in 2013, a mere 0.23 percent of total generation. But here’s the thing: Those numbers and other current data on solar are fast-fading… Keep reading →
The North American Gas Forum was held in Washington D.C. Sept 28-29. The event brought together leaders from across the natural gas supply chain to discuss the latest developments and important issues in the industry today. Keynote speakers were Adam Sieminski, Administrator of the U.S. Energy Information Administration discussing the impressive growth in gas and… Keep reading →
Lighting “consumes about 19% of the world’s electric power, more than all nuclear and hydroelectric plants can produce together (which is about 15% in total),” according to Grant Feller of the World Economic Forum. With significant future projected power demand and over a billion people without proper access to electricity (see Breaking Energy ‘energy poverty’… Keep reading →
The US military and its regional allies conducted additional airstrikes against ISIS-controlled oil infrastructure in Syria and Iraq. “The U.S. said on Sunday that its forces along with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates targeted four modular refineries and a command facility north of Raqqa—Islamic State’s de facto capital in northeastern Syria. The U.S.… Keep reading →
A contract fight is unfolding in Cleveland where industrial power customers were hit with “polar vortex” surcharges ranging from $9,000 to $290,000. When temperatures plummeted last January power demand spiked and some generation plants tripped offline. Grid operator PJM called on all generators to produce more power to stabilize the grid and then billed them… Keep reading →
