Demand response saves electricity during times of high demand

Demand response in the electricity market involves the targeted reduction of electricity use during times of high demand. In response, customers receive incentives for these reductions. A recent Supreme Court ruling is expected to result in faster growth in demand response in the wholesale electricity markets that cover about 60% of U.S. power supply. More »

California has nearly half of the nation's solar electricity generating capacity

The United States has slightly more than 20,000 megawatts (MW) of solar generating capacity, which includes utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal installations, as well as distributed generation solar PV systems, also known as rooftop solar. As of the end of November 2015, nearly half of the nation's solar capacity was located in California. More »

High inventories help push crude oil prices to lowest levels in 13 years

Several factors have played a part in pushing U.S. crude oil prices below $30 per barrel, including high inventory levels of crude oil, uncertainty about global economic growth, volatility in equity and nonenergy commodity markets, and the potential for additional crude oil supply to enter the market. Crude oil and petroleum product inventories, both domestically and internationally, have been growing since mid-2014 and are above five-year averages for this date. More »

Computer and technology use in education buildings continues to increase

Based on data collected in EIA's latest Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS), the number of computers in education buildings across the United States is continuing to grow rapidly. On average, education buildings have nearly twice as many computers per million square feet as all commercial buildings. Among commercial building categories, only office buildings have more computers per square foot. More »

Electricity generation from renewable sources expected to grow 9% this year

Electricity generated from utility-scale renewable plants is expected to grow by 9% in 2016, based on projections in the latest Short-Term Energy Outlook. Much of the growth comes from new installations of wind and solar plants and increases in hydroelectric generation after a relatively dry 2015. In 2016, electricity from utility-scale renewable sources is expected to account for 14% of the total electricity generated in the United States, with wind and solar contributing 5.2% and 0.8%, respectively. More »

Natural gas leak at California storage site raises environmental and reliability concerns

On October 23, 2015, Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) detected a major leak at Aliso Canyon, an underground natural gas storage facility located 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles. The Aliso Canyon storage facility, which has 115 wells, is the second-largest natural gas storage field in the western United States. More »