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 […]
Category: Today in Energy
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, […]
U.S. crude oil production in May has a record monthly decrease
Production of crude oil decreased in the United States in May 2020 by 1.99 million barrels per day (b/d), the largest monthly decrease since at least January 1980, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Monthly Crude Oil and Natural Gas Production Report. This decrease surpassed the previous record drop in September 2008 when […]
Illinois is a top energy consumer and producer in the Midwest
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) State Energy Data System (SEDS), Illinois had the highest energy consumption in the Midwest and was the third-highest energy producer of any state in the region. In 2018, customers in Illinois consumed 4.0 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu) of energy, and 2.6 quadrillion Btu was produced in […]
U.S. homes and businesses receive natural gas mostly from local distribution companies
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Natural Gas Annual Respondent Query System, 2,022 natural gas delivery companies delivered natural gas to end-use customers in the United States in 2018. A delivery company is defined as any entity that delivers natural gas directly to end users. In 2018, local distribution companies (LDCs) primarily served […]
Most U.S. utility-scale geothermal power plants built since 2000 are binary-cycle plants
Utility-scale geothermal power plants in the United States use either steam power or a binary cycle to generate electricity. Of the 2,558 megawatts (MW) of geothermal power plant capacity currently operating in the United States, 1,826 MW of capacity is from steam-powered plants and 731 MW of capacity is from binary-cycle powered plants. Unlike steam-powered […]
