Today in Energy
New pumped-storage capacity in China is helping to integrate growing wind and solar power
China is building pumped-storage hydropower facilities to increase the flexibility of the power grid and accommodate growing wind and solar power. As of May 2023, China had 50 gigawatts (GW) of operational pumped-storage capacity, 30% of global capacity and more than any other country. Read More...
Developers added 16.8 GW of U.S. utility-scale generating capacity in first-half 2023
In the first half of 2023, developers added 16.8 gigawatts (GW) of new utility-scale electric generating capacity to the U.S. power grid, according to our latest inventory of electric generators. Developers plan to bring an additional 35.2 GW of capacity online in the second half of the year. Read...
Older homes in the Midwest are among the top U.S. residential natural gas consumers
Homes in the Midwest consumed 34% more natural gas than the national average—76.1 million British thermal units (MMBtu) per household compared with 56.6 MMBtu nationally—according to our 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS). The newest midwestern homes, those built since 2010, consumed...
Inflation-adjusted U.S. energy spending increased by 25% in 2021
In 2021, the amount U.S. consumers spent on energy (energy expenditures) grew to over $1.3 trillion when adjusted for inflation, a 25% increase from 2020, according to our State Energy Data System (SEDS). Rising petroleum consumption in 2021 following 2020 lows induced by the COVID-19 pandemic and...
Qatar natural gas production and exports stable as country eyes expansion
In 2021, Qatar was the world’s sixth-largest dry natural gas producer, the second-largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter, and the third-largest holder of natural gas reserves, according to the data in our recently updated Country Analysis Brief: Qatar. Read More...
First new U.S. nuclear reactor since 2016 is now in operation
A new reactor at Georgia’s Vogtle nuclear power plant is now in commercial operation, according to an announcement from Georgia Power, one of the plant’s owners. It is the first new nuclear reactor to start up in the United States since the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Watts Bar 2 was commissioned...
Natural gas deliveries to U.S. LNG export facilities set a record in first-half 2023
Natural gas deliveries by pipeline to U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities are called LNG feed gas. LNG feed gas averaged 12.8 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in the first six months of 2023, following the Freeport LNG terminal’s return to service, according to data by S&P...
Cooling commercial buildings is six times more energy-intensive in hot climates than cold
The energy intensity for cooling commercial buildings in the United States depends on the climate the building is located in. Energy intensity in buildings is the energy consumed per square foot of floorspace. U.S. commercial buildings in hot or very hot climates, which are primarily in the...
Texas power grid met record-breaking demand for electricity during recent heat wave
An extreme heat wave in late June and July led to record-breaking demand for electricity in Texas as homes and businesses turned up their air-conditioning, fans, and other cooling equipment to cope with the heat. Power plants in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT)—the grid operator for...
Refinery capacity increased slightly for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic
U.S. refining capacity increased slightly for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, as of January 1, 2023, reversing two years of decline, according to our annual Refinery Capacity Report. Operable atmospheric crude oil distillation capacity, our primary measure of refinery capacity in the...
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