Energize Weekly, November 21, 2018 Natural gas underground storage in the U.S. began November at the lowest levels in 13 years, 3,208 billion cubic feet (Bcf), according to the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA). The data released Nov. 8 covers storage levels in the lower 48 states. Each of seven…
AEP’s $33 billion capital improvement plan focuses on transmission and distribution
Energize Weekly, November 21, 2018 American Electric Power (AEP) is planning to invest $33 billion in capital projects between 2019 and 2023 with three-quarters of the money focused on transmission and distribution, the company said. The company will also spend $2.7 billion on renewable generation and another $2.2 billion on…
Oil supplies and prices remain stables thanks to increased production from U.S., Russia and Saudi Arabia
Energize Weekly, November 21, 2018 Oil supplies are up and prices down—despite flagging output from Venezuela and sanctions on Iranian oil—as result of increased production from key countries and a softening demand from developing countries, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said. In August, the IEA warned that losses of Venezuelan…
Texas sets a record for electricity generated from wind turbines at 17,920 MW
Energize Weekly, November 21, 2018 Texas—the nation’s leader in wind generation—set an output record of 17,920 megawatts (MW) the afternoon of Nov. 12, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Driven by sustained winds of 18 miles per hour (mph) with gusts up to 36 mph, measured at…
Thin-film solar can grow in high-value markets like aerospace and building materials, NREL study says
Energize Weekly, November 21, 2018 Silicon solar cells account for 95 percent of the global market, but there are potentially multi-billion dollar markets for flexible, thin-film cells, according to an analysis by researchers at the federal National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). “Multiple markets are emerging for renewable, low-cost power generation…
Midwest, Northeast to start winter heating season with higher fuel oil and propane prices
Energize Weekly, November 14, 2018 The Midwest is heading into the winter home-heating season with above average inventories, modest price increases and a forecast of a mild winter, while the Northeast is facing a decline in inventories, a sharp price hike and colder temperatures. Propane prices were up nationally 4…
Sunrun sets a record for installations in Q3, but its stock slides on a $2.9 million loss
Energize Weekly, November 14, 2018 Sunrun, the country’s largest solar installer in 2017, set a record in the third quarter of 2018 with 100 megawatts of installations, but a $2.9 million loss for the period sent its stock plunging. The 100 MW—13,000 solar arrays—surpassed the previous record of 91 MW,…
Lazard analysis shows wind and solar becoming the cheapest new generating capacity
Energize Weekly, November 14, 2018 The cost of building and running wind and utility-scale solar projects is now beginning to undercut the major forms of baseload generation—natural gas, coal and nuclear, according to analysis by the financial consulting firm Lazard Ltd. Lazard’s 12th annual “levelized cost of energy” (LCOE) analysis,…
Expensive Colorado ballot battle on oil drilling setbacks could lead to a compromise
Energize Weekly, November 14, 2018 In the wake of a hard-fought battle over an oil and gas ballot initiative, Colorado political and industry leaders are looking for a path to comprise. Proposition 112, sponsored by the grassroots anti-drilling group, Colorado Rising, would have created a statute requiring oil and gas…
PJM could face reliability risks in early 2020s if more coal and nuclear generation is retired
Energize Weekly, November 7, 2018 The PJM Interconnection, the nation’s largest grid, can manage the announced closures of coal and nuclear plants even in the face of severe weather—but with the loss of additional generation, “the system may be at risk.” The assessment comes from the PJM’s Fuel Security Analysis…
U.S. wind turbine market sets construction and sales records in the third quarter of 2018
Energize Weekly, November 7, 2018 The U.S. wind industry installed 612 megawatts (MW) of new wind power capacity during the third quarter of 2018, a 15 percent increase over the third quarter of 2017, according to the American Wind Energy Association’s (AWEA) quarterly market report. Project construction activity in the…
Worldwide fuel subsidies rising under pressure from higher oil prices, EIA says
Energize Weekly, November 7, 2018 After a sharp decline, global fuel subsidies rose in 2017—under pressure from rising oil prices, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Worldwide fossil fuel subsidies had fallen by almost half to about $250 billion between 2012 and 2016. In 2017, they rose 12 percent…
U.S. set record for crude oil production in August, becoming world’s leading producer for the month
Energize Weekly, November 7, 2018 U.S. crude oil production reached 11.3 million barrels a day in August, surpassing Russian output, and making the U.S. the world’s leading crude oil producer, according to the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA). Production records were set in several states. Texas posted a record 4.6…
Record number of coal plants to close in 2018 as utility industry carbon emissions drop
Energize Weekly, November 7, 2018 The U.S. power sector will close a record 15.4 gigawatts (GW) of coal-fired power plants in 2018, as federal data shows a steady, long-term drop in carbon dioxide emissions from the sector. An assessment by the non-profit Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA)…
Dominion Energy calls for 500 MW of onshore wind and solar projects in Virginia
Energize Weekly, October 31, 2018 Dominion Energy issued a request for bids on Oct. 24 for 500 megawatts (MW) of solar and onshore wind generation as part of a plan to develop 3,000 MW of renewable resources in Virginia. Richmond, Va.-based Dominion Energy pledged to develop the wind and solar…
Colorado, the leader in community solar, set to get six more solar gardens on Western Slope
Energize Weekly, October 31, 2018 Colorado—the leading state in the nation for community solar gardens—is set to get six more of the shared arrays, with a total of 10.3 megawatts (MW) of generation, on the state’s more rural Western Slope. The sites are all located along the Interstate 70 corridor…
Cannabis industry drives growing electricity demand, expected to soar with increased legalization
Energize Weekly, October 31, 2018 The legal cannabis industry in the U.S. is becoming a big energy consumer, using 1.1 million megawatts-hours a year—enough to power 92,500 homes— with consumption projected to grow by 162 percent between 2017 and 2002, according to a study by New Frontier Data. “As more…
Efficiency programs, which could have a big impact on emissions, are flagging, IEA says
Energize Weekly, October 31, 2018 Energy efficiency programs could dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions even as economic activity doubled—but those programs’ gains slowed as efficiency policies have weakened, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Following two years of low growth, global energy demand grew by 2 percent in 2017,…
Corporate renewable power purchases set a record in 2018 with the tech sector leading the way
Energize Weekly, October 24, 2018 Corporate renewable energy power purchases—which have spurred $15 billion in capital investment in the last eight years—have already set an annual record in 2018 led by tech companies. So far this year, corporate customers have purchased 4.96 gigawatts of renewable electricity through 59 deals, according…
PJM has had the biggest growth in natural gas-fired generation of any U.S. market
Energize Weekly, October 24, 2018 The PJM Interconnection, the largest U.S. wholesale electricity market, has in the last five years added the most natural gas-fired capacity of any grid in the country, according to the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA). PJM has seen the closure or announced closure of coal-fired…
Goggle Maps adds EV charging stations around the world to its search
Energize Weekly, October 24, 2018 Google Maps is now a guide to electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in countries around the world. A search on Google Maps in the U.S. will show the stations operated by Tesla, ChargePoint, SemaConnect, EVgo and Blink Network. The five companies account for about three-quarters…
Pipeline constraints could hurt winter energy market prices in New York, Boston and Los Angeles
Energize Weekly, October 24, 2018 A forecast for a mild winter and adequate electricity generating capacity are good news for the winter energy markets, but pipeline constraints could create risks for several major cities, according to a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) assessment. The growing dependence on natural gas-fired generation…
Wind and solar provided 10 states with 20 percent or more of their electricity in 2017
Energize Weekly, October 17, 2018 Wind and solar electric generation make up an average of only 8 percent of U.S. power supplies, but in 10 states these renewable resources provided 20 percent or more of the electricity supply in 2017, according to Federal Energy Information Administration (EIA) data. This group…
U.S. crude oil export carried by supertankers rose in first half of 2018
Energize Weekly, October 17, 2018 U.S. crude oil exports surged in the first half of 2018 as the use of the largest supertankers grew dramatically. Crude oil overtook hydrocarbon gas liquids as the biggest U.S. petroleum export product. The 1.8 million barrels a day exported was 80 percent more than…
Georgia-Pacific is the latest company seeking to leave NV Energy for the open power market
Energize Weekly, October 17, 2018 Georgia-Pacific Gypsum, which operates a gypsum wallboard and plastic manufacturing plant near Las Vegas, is seeking to leave Nevada’s largest utility, NV Energy and buy power on its own. More than a dozen other companies have left or are seeking to leave NV Energy. Georgia-Pacific…
Google finds matching carbon-free energy to its data centers’ round-the-clock demand a challenge
Energize Weekly, October 17, 2018 Google has been the world’s biggest corporate purchaser of renewable energy, buying enough to cover all of its total global consumption. Now it wants to go further matching carbon-free energy to its demand for every hour of every day. One of the biggest challenges of…
New Mexico regulators OK 2,200-MW wind project covering 300,000 acres
Energize Weekly, October 10, 2018 A plan to install 2,200 megawatts (MW) of wind generation—about 950 wind turbines—in central and eastern New Mexico was approved by state regulators on Oct. 3. The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (PRC), on a 4-to-0 vote, gave the green light to San Francisco-based Pattern…
Duke Energy Florida will install up to 530 EV charging stations in three-year pilot
Energize Weekly, October 10, 2018 Duke Energy said it will install up to 530 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in Florida as part of a pilot in tandem with a three-year program to promote and study EV use. The “Park and Plug” program is focusing on placing charging stations for…
Trump tariffs added $236.5 million to U.S. solar projects, EnergySage says
Energize Weekly, October 10, 2018 The Trump administration’s solar tariffs have added $236.5 million to U.S. solar projects this year, according to solar marketer EnergySage Marketplace. For the average residential customer, this added up to an extra 16 cents per watt or $960 for a standard 6-kilowatt solar installation, according…
Natural gas and coal-fired electric generation fell in 2017 while renewable generation rose
Energize Weekly, October 10, 2018 Natural gas-fired electric generation fell a record 7.7 percent in 2017 compared with the previous year, and coal-fired generation was down 2.5 percent, marking the first time in a decade both electricity sources declined—at the same time renewable electricity hit a record, according to the…
LNG market set to post a record in 2018 buoyed by Asian buyers
Energize Weekly, October 3, 2018 The market for liquefied natural gas (LNG) is poised to set a record in 2018, spurred by Asian imports, according to a Bloomberg New Energy Finance analysis. Demand is projected to grow 308 million metric tons per annum (MMtpa) in 2018, up 8.5 percent from…
High temperatures, fuel constraints pushed western electricity prices to a 10-year high this summer
Energize Weekly, October 3, 2018 High temperatures and tight fuel supplies pushed wholesale electricity prices in the western U.S. to their highest levels since 2008, according to the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA). Temperatures were warmer than normal across the West. Portland, Ore., for example, posted 29 days of temperatures…
Small reactors are the only viable path forward for nuclear energy, policy groups say
Energize Weekly, October 3, 2018 In order for the nuclear energy industry to survive it must move in a new—small is beautiful—direction with the help of revised federal policies and financial support, according to a new paper from the Breakthrough Institute, R Street Institute and ClearPath. The solution proposed by…
Sempra sells renewable energy assets to Consolidated Edison for $1.5 billion
Energize Weekly, October 3, 2018 Sempra Energy has agreed to sell its U.S. non-utility operating solar assets, solar and battery storage development projects and one wind facility to Consolidated Edison Inc. for $1.54 billion in cash. “This sale represents an important step forward in the portfolio-optimization plan we announced in June to…
USDA to finance $398 million in rural electric projects in 13 states
Energize Weekly, October 3, 2018 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is providing $398.5 million in funding to upgrade electric service in 13 states, including smart grid and renewable energy projects. “Reliable and affordable electricity is undeniably a necessity in today’s world,” Anne Hazlett, rural development assistant to Agriculture Secretary…
Financing the cost of closing coal-fired power plants is a key to a clean energy transition, RMI says
Energize Weekly, September 26, 2018 A major obstacle in the transition from coal-fired power plants to cleaner energy generation is the “specter of financial losses” utility companies face in closing those plants. Solving that problem is a key to a quicker energy transition, according to the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI).…
Minnesota’s community solar leads the nation and reaches 400-MW milestone
Energize Weekly, September 19, 2018 Minnesota’s community solar program—the biggest and fastest growing in the country—reached a record 401 megawatts this summer, according to an analysis by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR). The program was launched in November 2014 by Xcel Energy, the state’s largest utility. There was a…
While most states still depend on fossil fuel-fired electricity generation, big shifts are underway
Energize Weekly, September 19, 2018 Fossil fuels continue to be the main source for generating electricity in more than two-thirds of the country, but there continues to be a shift away from coal and natural gas, with a slight uptick in nuclear generation and hydropower, according to figures from the…
Carbon Tracker says fossil fuel demand peaks in 2020, spurred by rapid market transformation
Energize Weekly, September 19, 2018 Demand for fossil fuels will peak in the 2020s, as market competition, technological innovation and shifts in energy transform the market and create financial risk, according to a Carbon Tracker analysis. The projections by the London-based energy think tank are aggressively predicting a peak at…
Offshore wind development could bring a $3.6 billion boon to Eastern seaboard state
Energize Weekly, September 12, 2018 Offshore wind power development could bring a $3.6 billion economic boon to five Eastern seaboard states, generating about 24,000 construction jobs and 1,000 permanent operations jobs, according to a study by BW Research. “The U.S. offshore wind industry is poised for substantial growth, thanks to…
U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions dropped in 2017 as gas and coal use dipped
Energize Weekly, September 12, 2018 Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. dropped slightly in 2017 due to a combination of weather conditions, energy efficiencies and the utility industry’s steady march away from burning coal, according to federal data. Emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) linked to energy activity in 2017…
Energy storage market up 60 percent over last year in second quarter of 2018
Energize Weekly, September 12, 2018 The U.S. energy storage market added 61.8 megawatts (MW) in the second quarter of 2018, a 42 percent increase over the first quarter, as demand for customer-owned batteries continued to grow, according to the Wood Mackenzie U.S. Energy Storage Monitor. Market growth year-over-year was up…
Total worldwide sale of electric vehicles hits 4 million in September
Energize Weekly, September 12, 2018 The pace of electric vehicle (EV) sales is accelerating, reaching a total of four million vehicles on the roads worldwide this September, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. China has emerged as the key market for EVs, responsible for around 37 percent of passenger EVs…
Utility and power sector investments reach a record $180 billion in first half of 2018
Energize Weekly, September 12, 2018 Utility and power sector deals globally hit a record $180 billion in the first half of 2018, spurred by industry consolidation and renewable energy investments, according to a report by Ernst & Young (EY). The accounting and consulting firm’s second quarter “Power Transactions and Trends”…
Wind stays competitive in the face of low natural gas and wholesale energy prices, DOE says
Energize Weekly, September 5, 2018 Wind generation, while facing some challenges in wholesale electricity markets, has continued to be competitive with prices for power purchase agreements and turbines continuing to fall, according to a new study by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). After reaching $70 a megawatt-hour long-term power…
Dry cooling systems offering an alternative to power plants big demand for water, EIA says
Energize Weekly, September 5, 2018 Power generation is one of the biggest consumers of water—used for cooling—in the U.S., but a small, though increasing number of plants are using dry cooling technology, according to the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA). Dry-cooled and hybrid plants, which use both water and air…
Oil and gas capital investment has been a volatile boon and a bane in the economy
Energize Weekly, September 5, 2018 Capital investment in the oil and gas industry grew rapidly after 2006 but has shown itself to be more volatile than overall capital investment, creating both a boon and a potential bane for the economy, according to an analysis by the Federal Reserve Bank of…
FirstEnergy plans to close four fossil fuel-fired power plants in Ohio and Pennsylvania
Energize Weekly, September 5, 2018 FirstEnergy Solutions (FES) announced Aug. 29 that it plans to shutter four fossil fuel-fired power plants with a total of 4,000 megawatts (MW) of generating capacity by 2022. “FES is closing the plants due to a market environment that fails to adequately compensate generators for…
Montana wind developers seeks to use federal law in contract dispute over projects
Energize Weekly, August 29, 2018 A wind power developer has turned to Montana utility regulators and a federal law to resolve a payment dispute with NorthWestern Energy, the state’s largest utility, over four wind projects and a battery-storage facility it has proposed. Caithness Beaver Creek LLC (CBC) is seeking to…
Frack sand demand “extreme” as market set to rise to $6 billion by 2023, IHS Markit says
Energize Weekly, August 29, 2018 The increased drilling of longer horizontal wells in shale oil and gas formations is fueling an escalating demand for the sand used to keep open fissures in rock after it has been fracked, leading to a $6 billion market by 2023, according to energy consultant…