U.S. biodiesel production has seen smaller reductions in recent months compared with other transportation fuels, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Petroleum Supply Monthly. As a result of mitigation efforts for the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), motor gasoline demand has declined significantly since March 2020. The decline in demand also reduced ethanol […]
Category: Today in Energy
U.S. coal stockpiles steadily increase after reaching lowest level in a decade in 2019
After reaching their lowest level in more than a decade in March 2019, U.S. coal stockpiles steadily increased to 152 million tons in April 2020, recovering to levels not seen in three years. Total U.S. coal stockpiles have increased as coal-fired generation has fallen to a 42-year low. […]
Currency appreciation makes crude oil less expensive for some oil importers
Brent crude oil prices and the index of the value of the U.S. dollar have generally been moving in opposite directions on a daily basis during the past several months. The two measures are responding to similar economic information—in this case, the outlook for global economic growth and demand expectations. Much of the decline in […]
More power generation came from natural gas in first half of 2020 than first half of 2019
Natural gas-fired generation in the Lower 48 states increased nearly 55,000 gigawatthours (GWh), or 9%, in the first half of 2020 compared with the first half of 2019. Natural gas was the fastest-growing source of electric power generation, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Hourly Electric Grid Monitor. The increase in […]
As lockdowns eased in May, gasoline demand increased and jet fuel continued to fall
The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) data show that demand (measured by EIA as product supplied) for motor gasoline increased in May as many states began to relax stay—at—home orders, but demand for jet fuel continued to decline because of reduced commercial air travel. EIA’s July Petroleum Supply Monthly (PSM), which includes data through May […]
U.S. liquefied natural gas exports remain at low levels this summer
After establishing a record high of 8.0 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in January 2020, U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) fell to an average of 3.1 Bcf/d in July 2020. July exports were similar to LNG exports in May 2018, when the available liquefaction capacity was about one-third of the current capacity. […]
Utility-scale battery storage capacity continued its upward trend in 2018
Utility-scale battery storage systems are increasingly being installed in the United States. In 2010, the United States had seven operational battery storage systems, which accounted for 59 megawatts (MW) of power capacity (the maximum amount of power output a battery can provide in any instant) and 21 megawatthours (MWh) of energy capacity (the total amount […]
COVID-19’s impact on commercial jet fuel demand has been significant and uneven
Efforts to contain the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have dramatically changed global commercial passenger flight volumes. These flights averaged a little more than 70,000 flights per day in January and February, fell to an average of less than 25,000 flights per day in April, and then started to increase again in May. Commercial jet […]
Gasoline and diesel refining margins that diverged in March have moved closer together
U.S. gasoline and diesel crack spreads diverged sharply in March and April as a result of the mitigation efforts aimed at slowing the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), but they have moved closer since May. Crack spreads are the difference between the price of crude oil and the wholesale price of a […]
More than 100 coal-fired plants have been replaced or converted to natural gas since 2011
According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), 121 U.S. coal-fired power plants were repurposed to burn other types of fuels between 2011 and 2019, 103 of which were converted to or replaced by natural gas-fired plants. At the end of 2010, 316.8 gigawatts (GW) of coal-fired capacity existed in the United States, […]