In 2012, the average American family spent 2.7 percent of their household income on home energy bills. While this might not sound like a lot, it adds up to almost $2,000 a year in energy costs. And much of that energy — 20 percent or more — is wasted on things like air leaks, poor insulation, and inefficient heating… Keep reading →
In a surprise announcement last evening from Beijing, President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping committed to ambitious cuts in carbon emissions over the next 15 years with the hope of preventing catastrophic global warming. The joint announcement calls for the United States, by 2025, to reduce carbon emissions by 26-28 percent below 2005 levels and for China to reduce net carbon emissions starting in 2030 or earlier and to increase the overall share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 20 percent by 2030. The announcement lays the groundwork for a global agreement to reduce carbon emissions at the United Nations Climate Conference in Paris in December 2015.
The US Department of Energy today granted Freeport LNG two final authorizations to export natural gas to non-Free Trade Agreement countries. The ruling authorizes Freeport to export up to 1.8 billion cubic feet of LNG per day for 20 years. The DOE earlier this year changed its LNG permit approval process from a blanket first… Keep reading →
While the current focus is on declining oil prices – which hit four-year lows yesterday – the longer-term oil market picture could feature downward supply pressure and a demand surge that forces prices right back up, according to IEA’s flagship World Energy Outlook 2014. The agency cautions against allowing current supply/demand fundamentals to breed complacency.… Keep reading →
A good deal of the buzz generated by America’s ongoing energy revolution has centered on the way surging domestic production is changing the crude oil imports picture. No question, it’s a pretty one, with net imports as a share of consumption falling to levels not seen in nearly three decades. That’s great news for job creation,… Keep reading →
NET Power, a young company from Durham, NC recently announced they will construct the first of a kind natural gas fueled power generation system with zero air emissions and complete carbon capture. NET Power’s Allam Cycle technology combines oxy-fuel combustion with a supercritical CO2 turbine to create power generation at better efficiencies than natural gas… Keep reading →
For the first time, the world’s two largest greenhouse gas emitters have pledged to reduce carbon pollution. This is a game changer, writes Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense Fund, in a Wall Street Journal op-ed piece. The agreement between the United States and China will be a giant boost for clean-energy markets. Having the world’s two largest… Keep reading →
When you consider how much of the globe is covered by water it’s easy to see why some say the future of oil & gas production lies offshore in ultra-deep water. But while hydrocarbons are likely to be found in these locations, projects built to extract them can be more challenging than some space missions… Keep reading →
The Wall Street Journal reported late Thursday that oil services giants Halliburton and Baker Hughes were involved in “quickly progressing” merger negotiations, which caused shares of both firms to jump. “The Journal, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter, said talks were progressing quickly and a deal could come soon.” [Fuel Fix] A new study using… Keep reading →
Energy Department Awards New Contract to Manage and Operate Brookhaven National Laboratory WASHINGTON– The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded a new five-year, $3.2 billion contract to Brookhaven Science Associates (BSA) to manage and operate Brookhaven National Laboratory. The award was the result of a DOE competition for the management and operations (M&O) contract… Keep reading →
