The Obama Administration is calling for continued government support of wind energy, touting a new report showing that it accounted for nearly a third of new electric capacity added in the United States last year. A report released Tuesday by the Department of Energy says the U.S.wind power industry is “facing uncertain times,” growing strongly but confronting the possibility of an expiring tax credit that would deal it a severe blow. Roughly $14 billion was invested last year in the industry, which accounted for 32% of new U.S. generating capacity, the report says. The U.S. has also become a major player on the manufacturing side, producing 67% of new wind turbine equipment used domestically last year.
Infrastructure
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The Shaw Group has agreed to be bought by CB&I in a cash and stock transaction valued at $3 billion, creating one of the world’s largest engineering and construction companies focused on the global energy industry. Under the terms of the deal, CB&I, also known as Chicago Bridge & Iron, will pay $46 a share in cash and stock, about $41 in cash and $5 in CB&I equity, representing a premium of 72% over Shaw’s closing price on Friday. CB&I plans to operate Shaw as a business sector under the brand name CB&I Shaw, where it will retain Shaw’s brand equity and allow the combined organization to recognize synergies and capitalize on both companies’ resources and capacity.
Across the country, and increasingly around the globe, information technology is playing a key role in the operations and organizational management of utility service providers. From customer-facing smart-metering technologies to administrative software tools that enhance automation and network monitoring, the revolution in interconnectivity has brought increased productivity and efficiencies, but also new areas of risk and vulnerability.
As a result, utility service providers must take a broad-spectrum approach to hardening their facilities, especially to cyber-criminals and hostile nation states that have the capability to cause harm and catastrophic impact to a system without ever approaching its physical structure. Keep reading →
“Why can’t we just…” is often the question energy industry leaders face when dealing with questions about the current state of the energy business. “Why can’t we just build all renewable energy?” or “Why can’t we just switch over to electric vehicles?”
The answer is usually – at least in large part – infrastructure. Keep reading →
Future natural gas transportation costs to New York City could be reduced with the expansion of the existing Texas Eastern Transmission pipeline from Linden, New Jersey to Manhattan, New York (see map here). On May 22, 2012, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)-the main jurisdictional authority over the construction of interstate natural gas pipelines in the United States-approved an 800,000 million British thermal unit (MMBtu) per day, or 800,000 dekatherms per day, expansion of the pipeline.
This project is slated to begin service in November 2013 and represents one of the biggest transportation service expansions in the Northeast during the past two decades. The project could have the following effects on the New York City market: reduce reliance on oil-fired generators, enhance the reliability of natural gas supplies, and lower transportation costs-especially in the winter. Spectra Energy secured firm transportation agreements for this expansion with these customers: Consolidated Edison (170,000 MMBtu per day); Chesapeake Energy Marketing, Inc. (425,250 MMBtu per day); and Statoil Natural Gas LLC (204,750 MMBtu per day). Keep reading →
David Willetts
Stable policy and massive infrastructure needs will limit the impacts of a looming double-dip recession in one of the world’s leading advanced economies, a government minister told Breaking Energy last week. Keep reading →
There is a looming renewable energy crisis, but it’s probably not the one you think. While national headlines over the past few months have focused on controversial federal loan guarantees, or the approaching expiration of key tax credits, the threat to renewable energy is much deeper than just these two areas.
Through Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), 29 states and the District of Columbia require electric utilities that supply power to their residents to obtain a specified percentage of their electricity from renewable energy sources by a specified date. For the last decade, RPS has been a resounding bipartisan success story, popular in both “red” and “blue” states alike. Today, they are the linchpin of our country’s investment in renewables, setting the requirement that a host of other public subsidies, including tax credits, are intended to support. Keep reading →
The idea of powering energy intensive facilities with inexpensive methane from on-site rigs is gaining traction in the Marcellus Shale region. And one of the reasons for the interest is the intensifying focus by exploration and production companies on natural gas liquids.
NGLs, which include propane, hexane, butane, and pentanes, are produced by fractionation after well-gas is processed to separate them from methane and ethane (which can only be liquefied through cryogenic treatment). Keep reading →
There’s no question that the US power grid is in need of an overhaul. It’s 20th century infrastructure trying to meet 21st century needs. But how do we move forward? Modernizing the power grid may take decades-which is how long it took to originally build the grid – but how can we begin to see immediate improvements?
Many existing smart grid programs emphasize advanced meters. In fact, the emphasis on advanced meters has been so pronounced that this technology is often considered synonymous with a smart grid. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Although advanced meters are an important component of a smart grid, they are used to gather information rather than take action in response to changes in grid conditions. That’s where intelligent grid-based technologies come into play. Keep reading →
