U.S. biodiesel production still increasing despite expiration of tax credit

Through the first nine months of 2017, U.S. biodiesel production levels were slightly higher than 2016 levels, despite the expiration of a federal biodiesel blender's tax credit at the end of 2016. Domestic biodiesel production may continue to increase because of changes to import policies such as those recently announced by the U.S. Department of Commerce on biodiesel imports from Argentina and Indonesia. More »

Production from offshore pre-salt oil deposits has increased Brazil's oil production

Brazil has produced 3.3 million barrels per day (b/d) of petroleum and other liquids so far in 2017, according to data through August, up from 3.2 million b/d in 2016, making it the ninth-largest producer of petroleum and other liquids in the world. Production of crude oil in Brazil increased in recent years as producers targeted large, offshore, pre-salt oil deposits. More »

Utility solar photovoltaic capacity is dominated by crystalline silicon panel technology

Most of the growing number of installations of utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) operating capacity across the United States have been systems that make use of crystalline silicon panels. In 2016, 70% of U.S. utility-scale PV capacity used crystalline silicon modules. Thin-film technology accounted for 28% of capacity. More »

Refined coal has made up nearly one-fifth of coal-fired power generation so far in 2017

The U.S. power sector consumption of coal is increasingly shifting to refined coal, even as coal-fired electricity generation decreases. Use of refined coal has increased from 17% of power sector coal consumption in 2016 to 19% so far in 2017, based on data through September More »

Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions decreased in most states from 2005 to 2015

The United States has a diverse energy landscape that is reflected in differences in state-level emissions profiles. Between 2005 and 2015, energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions decreased in 43 states (including the District of Columbia) and increased in 8 states. More »

India’s steel industry, like America’s, is dominated by electric-based processes

India is the third-largest steel producer in the world after China and Japan, having surpassed other large steel-making countries such as the United States, Russia, and South Korea over the previous decade, according to the World Steel Association. More »

U.S. liquefied natural gas exports have increased as new facilities come online

In August 2017, total U.S. natural gas liquefaction capacity in the Lower 48 states increased to 2.8 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) following the completion of the fourth liquefaction unit at the Sabine Pass liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Louisiana. With increasing liquefaction capacity and utilization, U.S. LNG exports averaged 1.9 Bcf/d, and capacity utilization averaged 80% this year, based on data through November. More »

Nearly half of all U.S. electricity customers have smart meters

Installations of smart meters have more than doubled since 2010—almost half of all U.S. electricity customer accounts now have smart meters. By the end of 2016, U.S. electric utilities had installed about 71 million advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) smart meters, covering 47% of the 150 million electricity customers in the United States. More »

Natural gas power generation share grew in Southern states for a decade as coal declined

Coal's share of total electricity generation in the South declined over the past decade, from 50% in 2006 to 29% in 2016. As the use of coal has declined, the use of natural gas has increased. In 2016, southern states used natural gas for 42% of their electricity generation, a bigger share than the U.S. average of 34%. More »

Appalachia region drives growth in U.S. natural gas production since 2012

Shale gas production in the Appalachia region has increased rapidly since 2012, driving an overall increase in U.S. natural gas production. According to EIA’s Drilling Productivity Report, natural gas production in the Appalachia region—namely the Marcellus and Utica shale plays—has increased by more than 14 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) since 2012. More »

United States, Canada, and Mexico launch North American Energy Information website

At the North American Energy Ministerial on November 14, 2017, in Houston, Texas, United States Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources James Gordon Carr, and Mexico’s Secretary of Energy Pedro Joaquin Coldwell launched the North American Cooperation on Energy Information (NACEI) website. More »