Southern California's natural gas infrastructure may face constraints this summer

Regional natural gas infrastructure issues in Southern California could affect electricity reliability this summer, according to separate studies recently released by the Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) and the Aliso Canyon Technical Assessment Group. Depending on natural gas infrastructure changes and storage operations this summer, these issues could also have implications for the upcoming winter. More »

U.S. households with more vehicles travel more but use additional vehicles less

Households in the United States with more vehicles not only travel more, but they often put more miles on their most-used (primary) vehicle compared with households with fewer vehicles, according to the Federal Highway Administration's National Household Travel Survey (NHTS). Households with just one vehicle drove an average of about 11,100 miles per year, while households with more than five vehicles traveled a total of about 41,800 miles; each additional vehicle within a household had less average use. About two-thirds of households have either one or two vehicles. More »

Distillate fuel oil was the most exported U.S. petroleum product in 2017

Distillate fuel continued to be the most exported U.S. petroleum product in 2017, averaging 1.4 million barrels per day (b/d) of gross exports. U.S. distillate exports went to 79 different destinations in 2017, particularly to markets in Central America, South America, and Europe. The proximity of U.S. Gulf Coast refineries to Mexico and to Central and South America combined with high demand in these regions led to higher U.S. distillate exports to these locations. More »

EIA's residential energy survey now includes estimates for more than 20 new end uses

Results from the 2015 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) introduced estimates of energy consumption for an expanded list of energy end uses. For electricity, the number of end uses estimated has expanded from 4 to 26 by adding estimates for equipment such as dishwashers, clothes washers, clothes dryers, televisions, and lighting. More »

EIA reports track U.S. crude oil production statistics and trends

With increasing crude oil prices and rig counts over the past several months, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) continues to closely monitor U.S. crude oil production trends. EIA publishes several reports that cover current crude oil production conditions and how recent trends may affect the near-term outlook for the oil industry. More »

Costs of different battery storage technologies depend on technical characteristics

Capital costs for large-scale battery storage systems installed across the United States differ depending on technical characteristics. Systems are generally designed to provide either greater power capacity (a battery’s maximum instantaneous power output) or greater energy capacity (the total amount of electricity that can be stored or discharged by a battery system). More »