As the developed world enjoys an energy production renaissance, developing countries – particularly in Asia – look to lead global energy consumption growth and are expected to burn lots of coal along the way. The US Energy Information Administration Thursday released its International Energy Outlook that forecasts energy balances and consumption trends out to 2040.… Keep reading →
Adam Sieminski begins as new EIA Administrator http://go.usa.gov/dkO EIAgov
Analysis of the Senate Energy Committee’s ‘Clean Energy Standard Act of 2012’ http://go.usa.gov/V43 EIAgov
When talking about energy and power generation today, it’s hard to avoid the topic of smart grids and intelligent metering systems. But the subject can seem somewhat nebulous and perhaps idealistic without hard numbers that put things in perspective. That is exactly what the US Energy Information Administration does.
The EIA maintains granular smart meter data that includes the total number of installations, who has them and more. At the end of 2010, 663 utilities had over 20 million advanced metering infrastructure installations, which accounts for about 6% of the total current US population. The lion’s share of these installations are at the residential level. Keep reading →
With decade-low natural gas prices threatening to dampen America’s shale-gas boom, gas-producing states are looking for ways to stimulate demand from cars and light trucks.
Ten states have signed a memorandum of understanding that aims to persuade automakers in the US to mass-produce competitively priced cars that will run on natural gas, providing a new outlet for abundant domestic supplies of the cleaner-burning fuel. The signatories are seeking more support. Keep reading →
Power prices have been dipping around the country because of low natural gas prices, but some states could face the potential of higher prices for electricity as more renewable energy comes online and seeking to replace threatened baseload power could drive prices higher regardless.
The Manhattan Institute released a study on February 28 by Senior Fellow Robert Bryce concluding US renewable portfolio standards (RPS) for power generation appear to pose risks to a fragile economy — increasing electricity costs in many states at a time when consumers are struggling with high unemployment and discretionary spending constraints. Keep reading →
US natural gas pipeline companies added about 2,400 miles of pipeline as part of 25 projects in 2011, helping to improve service in congested areas including California, Florida and parts of the Northeast, the Energy Information Administration said on Friday.
The new lines increased capacity by 13.7 billion cubic feet a day, about the same increase as in 2010 but less than that in 2008 and 2009 when a total of more than 60 bcf of capacity was added to keep pace with increasing shale-gas production, as well as new LNG terminals and storage facilities. Keep reading →
After 30 years of government largesse that would have made even Nancy Pelosi blush, Congress in December let expire the roughly $6 billion annual subsidy for corn ethanol. That’s bad news for the big refiners that were paid 45¢ for each gallon of corn ethanol they blended into gasoline supplies. But it’s good news for those worried about the “food-fuel dilemma” when the demand for corn to make ethanol has been raising the price of some foods. Not so fast. It turns out that while the subsidies are gone, U.S. law still requires oil refiners to blend corn ethanol into fuel — some 12.5 billion gallons this year and at least 15 billion gallons by 2015. That’s still a small portion compared with the 133 billion gallons of gasoline that the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates Americans will burn this year, but nonetheless enough to keep upward pressure on corn prices. That law needs to change, argues Jeremy Grantham — who oversees nearly $100 billion at his Boston investment firm, is known for calling both the dotcom and housing bubbles and is an environmentalist to boot. “It [U.S. ethanol policy] is truly diabolical,” he says.
Exporting US natural gas could mean minimal price rises for consumers and a boost in jobs for the economy.
Or it could mean US prices soaring as volumes equaling a quarter of current consumption are shipped to foreign markets. Keep reading →
Chinese Recession: Real or Not?
By Peter GardettProbably the best indication that the Chinese economy has entered a meaningful recession is the Chinese central government’s urgency to reassure everyone it isn’t so.
There have been rumblings since the end of last year that the Chinese economy was slowing, with poor lending practices, a property bubble and poorly managed internal migration all part of the new scenario sketched out for a possible recession. If it wasn’t for Europe’s unceasing convulsions over the credibility of its currency union the outlook for Chinese growth would be the central question for global economic trend-watchers. Keep reading →