Despite recent supply reductions, global liquid fuels production to outpace demand

Despite relatively lower supply from a number of major crude oil-producing countries, including Saudi Arabia, Libya, Venezuela, and Canada, global liquid fuels production was forecast to exceed global consumption through 2020 in EIA’s February Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO). More »

Updated renewable portfolio standards will lead to more renewable electricity generation

As of the end of 2018, 29 states and the District of Columbia (DC) had renewable portfolio standards (RPS), polices that require electricity suppliers to supply a set share of their electricity from designated renewable resources or eligible technologies. Although no additional states have adopted an RPS policy since Vermont in 2015, Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, California, and the District of Columbia extended their existing targets in 2018 or early 2019, continuing a trend in recent years across the United States. More »

Extreme cold in the Midwest led to high power demand and record natural gas demand

Extreme cold weather in the Midwest at the end of January led to high—but not record-setting—electricity load on Wednesday, January 30, 2019, the coldest day of the period, on the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) grid. However, consumption of natural gas, the main fuel used for heating in the region, reached estimated record levels on the same day. Natural gas and electricity prices were elevated but did not reach levels seen during previous cold weather events in recent years. More »

Regional variations in household lighting consumption driven by bulb choice and bulb count

U.S. households consumed an average of 1,105 kilowatthours (kWh) of electricity for lighting in 2015, or about 10% of electricity consumption in homes. Data from EIA’s latest Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) show that average lighting consumption varied geographically from a high of 1,333 kWh per home in the West North Central states of the Midwest to 911 kWh in the Pacific states along the West Coast. More »

EIA’s new Key Statistics and Indicators section highlights long-term state energy data

EIA recently released a new Key Statistics and Indicators section in the State Energy Data System (SEDS), EIA's comprehensive source for annual state energy statistics. The new section makes complete time-series data by state easier to access and provides state rankings tables for the most current year. Data in the Key Statistics and Indicators section cover energy consumption and production series from 1960 to 2016 and prices and expenditures series from 1970 to 2016. More »

New methanol plants expected to increase industrial natural gas use through 2020

New methanol plants under development in the United States are increasing natural gas consumption in the industrial sector. Methanol plants are among the most natural gas-intensive industrial end users and require natural gas both as a feedstock and for process heat. Three new plants expected to come online in 2019 and 2020 have a combined nameplate capacity of about 3.3 million metric tons per year (MMmt/y) and would increase total U.S. methanol capacity to 9.4 MMmt/y, or 25,600 metric tons per day (mt/d)—a 45% increase from the current U.S. capacity. More »

The basic metals industry is one of the world’s largest industrial energy users

The industrial sector is the largest user of energy in the world, accounting for approximately 55% of world delivered energy in 2018, according to the International Energy Agency. Within the industrial sector, the basic metal industry is one of the largest energy users, accounting for 12% of global industrial sector energy use. More »

Natural gas-fired reciprocating engines are being deployed more to balance renewables

Reciprocating internal combustion engines, which are typically used for backup, standby, or emergency power, are now becoming increasingly popular for larger utility-scale power generation applications, especially in areas with high levels of electricity generation from intermittent sources such as wind and solar. The recent increase in natural gas or dual-fuel capable reciprocating internal combustion engine units has been driven in part by advancements in engine technology that increase operational flexibility and by changes in natural gas markets that have generally provided ample supply and relatively stable fuel prices. More »

EIA adds new play production data to shale gas and tight oil reports

In December 2018, U.S. shale and tight plays produced about 65 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas (70% of total U.S. dry gas production) and about 7 million barrels per day (b/d) of crude oil (60% of total U.S. oil production). A decade ago, in December 2008, shale gas and tight oil made up 16% of total U.S. gas production and about 12% of U.S. total crude oil production. More »

Electricity intensity of U.S. homes and commercial buildings decreases in coming decades

In EIA’s recently released Annual Energy Outlook 2019 (AEO2019) Reference case, projected residential and commercial purchased electricity consumption grows more slowly than the number of households or total commercial floorspace. As a result, electricity intensity—the amount of electricity consumed per household or square foot of commercial floorspace—decreases by an average of 0.3% per year and 0.4% per year from 2018 through 2050 in the residential and commercial sectors, respectively. More »

Electricity intensity of U.S. homes and commercial buildings decreases in coming decades

In EIA’s recently released Annual Energy Outlook 2019 (AEO2019) Reference case, projected residential and commercial purchased electricity consumption grows more slowly than the number of households or total commercial floorspace. As a result, electricity intensity—the amount of electricity consumed per household or square foot of commercial floorspace—decreases by an average of 0.3% per year and 0.4% per year from 2018 through 2050 in the residential and commercial sectors, respectively. More »

Power blocks in natural gas-fired combined-cycle plants are getting bigger

Combined-cycle electric generating systems are combustion and steam turbines that operate in groups commonly referred to as power blocks. Since 2014, the average size of a natural gas-fired combined-cycle power block has increased significantly. The average combined-cycle power block installed between 2002 and 2014 was about 500 megawatts (MW). After 2014, power block capacity increased, reaching an average of 820 MW in 2017. Power blocks have increased in size as the performance of combined-cycle units has continued to improve, and current and projected natural gas prices and supply provide a competitive advantage for the combined-cycle technology. The most common configuration involves two combustion turbines supporting one steam turbine. More »

Emissions from the U.S. electric power sector projected to remain mostly flat through 2050

EIA’s recently released Annual Energy Outlook 2019 projects that the U.S. electric power sector emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and carbon dioxide (CO2) will remain mostly flat through 2050, assuming no changes to current laws and regulations. More »

U.S. production and use of refined coal continues to increase

U.S. production of refined coal, which is coal that has been processed to reduce emissions when burned, reached record highs in 2017, and it is expected to increase even further in 2018. Use of refined coal has increased despite the general decline in total U.S. coal consumption since 2008. For the first three quarters of 2018, EIA estimates that refined coal production totaled 121 million short tons (MMst), which is 21% of the total U.S. coal production of 563 million short tons. More »

Most U.S. utility-scale solar photovoltaic power plants are 5 megawatts or smaller

The United States has more than 2,500 utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity generating facilities. Most of these power plants are relatively small and collectively account for 2.5% of utility-scale electric generating capacity and 1.7% of annual electricity generation, based on data through November 2018. More »

Future U.S. electricity generation mix will depend largely on natural gas prices

U.S. exports of ethane have increased from nearly nothing in 2013 to an average of 260,000 barrels per day (b/d) through the first 10 months of 2018, accounting for about one-sixth of U.S. hydrocarbon gas liquids exports. Ethane is a key feedstock for petrochemical manufacturing. The United States became the world’s top exporter of ethane in 2015, surpassing Norway, the only other country to ship ethane internationally. In 2014 and 2015, all U.S. ethane shipments went to Canada, but in 2018 the United States sent ethane to 10 countries. More »

The United States expands its role as world’s leading ethane exporter

U.S. exports of ethane have increased from nearly nothing in 2013 to an average of 260,000 barrels per day (b/d) through the first 10 months of 2018, accounting for about one-sixth of U.S. hydrocarbon gas liquids exports. Ethane is a key feedstock for petrochemical manufacturing. The United States became the world’s top exporter of ethane in 2015, surpassing Norway, the only other country to ship ethane internationally. In 2014 and 2015, all U.S. ethane shipments went to Canada, but in 2018 the United States sent ethane to 10 countries. More »

More stringent marine sulfur limits mean changes for U.S. refiners and ocean vessels

The implementation of new regulations affecting marine fuel specifications will have implications for crude oil and petroleum product markets over the coming decade. Previous Today in Energy articles described these regulations and the short-term implications for refining margins through 2020. Today’s article discusses the longer-term implications of the market changes projected in EIA’s recently released Annual Energy Outlook 2019, as the response to these regulations will likely involve changes to ships, marine fuels, refining, and some infrastructure in the next six to eight years. More »