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Power generation from coal and natural gas expected to temporarily converge this spring

Republished May 14, 2015, 2:00 p.m. to correct an error in the graph EIA’s most recent Short-Term Energy Outlook forecasts that the amount of electricity generation fueled by natural gas in April and May will total just 3.5% less than the projected amount of coal-fired generation. This convergence has occurred only once before, in April 2012, when natural gas fueled just 1.5% less generation than coal. Power generation from the two fuels is expected to rise at similar rates over the next couple months, and then diverge again later in the summer as demand rises and coal unit capacity utilization continues to rise. Natural gas-fired generation has been rising over the past few months, as the cost of natural gas has fallen to levels not seen since 2012 . These low fuel costs have made natural gas combined-cycle generating units in some areas of the country cheaper to operate […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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New York environmental report calls for more fracking restrictions

New York has released its long-awaited report on high-volume hydraulic fracturing, which appears to cast doubt on whether the state will ever give a green light to the drilling completion practice, which essentially has been prohibited since 2008. The Department of Environmental Conservation released Wednesday the final supplemental generic environmental impact statement on fracking "that identifies and examines continued major uncertainties about potential significant adverse health and environmental impacts associated with the activity," according to a statement. The DEC will issue its formal findings statement after a required 10-day period in accordance with the state’s Environmental Quality Review Act. In a statement, DEC Commissioner Joe Martens said he would rely on the conclusions of the FSGEIS when he issues his findings statement. New York has had a de facto moratorium on fracking since 2008 while it first began to develop rules and regulations to govern the practice, which has […]

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Weekly US coal production slides for 12th straight week: EIA

Weekly US coal production totaled an estimated 16 million st in the week ended April 9, the lowest full-week estimate in the last five years, US Energy Information Administration data showed Thursday. The estimate — 16,029,316 st — is down 7.7% from the prior week’s estimate and down 15.1% from the year-ago week. While the EIA does not comment on its production estimates, the weekly total marked the 12th straight week of lower production when compared with last year as the coal market continues to deal with the fallout from low natural gas prices. Coal production in Wyoming and Montana, which is mostly made up of production from the Powder River Basin, totaled an estimated 6.9 million st during the week, down 14.4% compared with last year. Article continues below… Platts Global Coal Alert brings real-time coal industry information to those who can’t afford to wait until tomorrow to […]

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The Greatest Water Crisis In The History Of The United States

US Drought Monitor May 5 2015 What are we going to do once all the water is gone?  Thanks to the worst drought in more than 1,000 years, the western third of the country is facing the greatest water crisis that the United States has ever seen.  Lake Mead is now the lowest that it has ever been since the Hoover Dam was finished in the 1930s, mandatory water restrictions have already been implemented in the state of California , and there are already widespread reports of people stealing water in some of the worst hit areas.  But this is just the beginning.  Right now, in a desperate attempt to maintain somewhat “normal” levels of activity, water is being pumped out of the ground in the western half of the nation at an absolutely staggering pace.  Once that irreplaceable groundwater is gone, that is when the real crisis will […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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How Sustainable is Stored Sunlight?

Whether or not to include storage is no longer just an academic question. Driven by better battery technology and the disincentivization of grid-connected solar panels, off-grid solar is about to make a comeback. How sustainable is a solar PV system if energy storage is taken into account? Picture: Tesla’s lithium-ion home storage system. In the  previous article , we have seen that many life cycle analyses (LCAs) of solar PV systems have a positive bias. Most LCAs base their studies on the manufacturing of solar cells in Europe or the USA. However, most panels are now produced in China, where the electric grid is about twice as carbon-intensive and about 50% less energy efficient. [ 1 ] Likewise, most LCAs investigate solar PV systems in regions with a solar insolation typical of the Mediterranean region, while the majority of solar panels have been installed in places with only half […]

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In Oil, Aberdeen Struggles With Price, Output

Sean Murphy, an Aberdeen oil-rig supervisor, has been looking for work for months. ENLARGE Photo: JO HANLEY FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ABERDEEN, Scotland—When he was laid off in December, Sean Murphy thought he would easily find a new job with his 30 years of experience as a supervisor on oil rigs all over Europe’s North Sea. Five months and more than 200 résumés later, Mr. Murphy has lost confidence. So, too, has this once-buoyant city. Often called Europe’s energy capital for the high number of oil-and-gas firms operating here, Aberdeen is a victim of the sharp drop in oil prices since last year. More than 1,000 oil workers have been laid off in the region since the downturn began last year. Local businesses, from taxi cabs to hotels and restaurants, report fewer customers and fear worse is to come. The property market, once one of Britain’s hottest, has […]

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Oil Marginally Lower After IEA Report Points to Oversupply

May 14, 2015 1:02 a.m. ET By Eric Yep Crude-oil futures were marginally lower in Asian trade Thursday on some investor concerns that global oil oversupply hasn’t really been dented by slowing U.S. oil production. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, light, sweet crude futures for delivery in June traded at $60.21 a barrel at 0323 GMT, down $0.29 in the Globex electronic session. June Brent crude on London’s ICE Futures exchange fell $0.24 to $66.57 a barrel. Oil prices were under pressure despite U.S. crude stockpiles falling for the second consecutive week, declining by 2.2 million barrels in the week ended May 8, official data showed. "The market may be able to shrug off this weakness and run higher, but the failure to rally on bullish news calls into question whether crude oil remains a bull market," analyst Tim Evans at Citi Futures said. Weekly U.S. gasoline and […]

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Oil slips, economic worries offset U.S. crude stocks draw

SINGAPORE Oil slipped on Thursday as weak data from the world’s top economies raised concern about the outlook for global fuel demand, offsetting data that showed a large drawdown in U.S. crude stockpiles last week. China, the world’s top energy consumer, saw its economy losing more steam in April despite easier monetary policy, while Europe’s largest economy, Germany, slowed in the first quarter. In the United States, retail sales were flat in April, dampening hopes of a sharp rebound in growth in the second quarter. "We’ve had a round of very weak data in the last 24 hours and that’s offset the strength that we would normally expect to come through from a larger than expected draw in U.S. inventories," said Michael McCarthy, chief strategist at CMC Markets in Sydney. June Brent crude fell 18 cents to $66.63 a barrel as of 0623 GMT after settling 5 cents lower […]

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Oil glut worsens as OPEC market-share battle just beginning: IEA

LONDON A global oil glut is building as OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia pumps near record highs in an attempt to win a market-share battle against stubbornly resistant U.S. shale production, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Wednesday. The West’s energy watchdog said in a monthly report that although higher-than-expected oil demand was helping to ease the glut, growth in global oil consumption was far from spectacular. As a result, signs are emerging that the crude oil glut is shifting into refined products markets, which could make a recent rally in oil prices unsustainable. "Despite tentatively bullish signals in the United States, and barring any unforeseen disruption elsewhere, the market’s short-term fundamentals still look relatively loose," said the IEA, which coordinates energy policies of industrial nations. Global oil production exceeds demand by around 2 million barrels per day, or over 2 percent, following spectacular growth in U.S. shale production […]

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Iran sees Bulgaria as a gas bridge to Europe

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Bulgaria may be in a position to serve as an energy bridge to Europe. File photo by Monika Graff/UPI TEHRAN, May 13 (UPI) — Bulgaria is in a geographical position to serve as a stepping stone for Iranian gas ambitions to reach Europe, the Iranian president said. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani reviewed the credentials of Bulgarian Ambassador to Tehran Christo Polendakov during a ceremony in the Iranian capital. Rouhani said his government viewed Bulgaria as a means to tap into the European energy market . "Bulgaria has a superior geographical status in southeastern Europe and it can act like a bridge between Iran and the European countries in all areas, including transfer of energy," the Iranian president said. Bulgaria last year suspended its role in a now-shelved Russian natural gas pipeline planned for Europe, South Stream, arguing it violated legal requirements in the European […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple