John Hennessy III,
P.E.
Global consumption of petroleum and other liquid fuels is estimated to have grown by 1.4 million b/d in 2015. EIA expects global consumption to increase by 1.5 million b/d in 2016 and by 1.4 million b/d in 2017, mostly driven by growth in countries outside of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Non-OECD consumption growth was 0.9 million b/d in 2015, and it is expected to be 1.2 million b/d in 2016 and 1.3 million b/d in 2017.
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UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
From our assessment, we conclude there are above and below ground mechanisms by which hydraulic fracturing activities have the potential to impact drinking water resources. These mechanisms include water withdrawals in times of, or in areas with, low water availability; spills of hydraulic fracturing fluids and produced water; fracturing directly into underground drinking water resources; below ground migration of liquids and gases; and inadequate treatment and discharge of wastewater.
BLOOMBERG NEW ENERGY FINANCE
In 2015, the US could set new national records: for annual renewable build; for coal retirements; and for gas burn from the power sector. Meanwhile, electricity-related emissions could fall to their lowest levels since 1994. This Research Note examines our short-term forecasts for US power.
CLEAN EDGE
SOLARCITY
In our second annual survey of U.S. homeowner purchasing trends and attitudes, we find that clean-energy products and services – including solar PV, utility-scale renewables, hybrid electric vehicles, and green buildings – continue to experience double-digit compound annual growth rates (CAGRs). Sustained double-digit growth rates for more than a decade reflect the long-term nature of this current shift to more efficient, cleaner, and environmentally friendly products and services. But don’t be mistaken; as our research clearly points out, it is cost savings, much more than environmental factors, that are driving this monumental shift.
Up to three times a day trains carrying up to three million gallons of Bakken crude oil from North Dakota travel through the Northwest, quite literally under downtown Seattle and along the Puget Sound en route to oil refineries in Anacortes and Cherry Point. With big potential markets in Asia and a booming coal and oil industry in Wyoming and North Dakota in search of ports to export, the Northwest is poised to experience major growth in fossil fuel industries.
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America now occupies a position of energy leadership that was unthinkable a short time ago. Gone are the days of uncertainty and concern over having the supply of energy we need, when we need it. Today, the United States is the world’s top producer of natural gas, the world’s leading refiner of petroleum products, and very soon could be the leading producer of oil…But this is only part of America’s larger energy story. The United States is in the midst of a new era in domestic energy abundance characterized by rising use of renewable energy and increased oil and natural gas production that is strengthening our economic outlook and enabling America to emerge as a global energy superpower.
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CLEAN WATER FUND
Water defines, and is central, to Michigan’s economy. Major tourism, agriculture, and fishing industries depend on the health of rivers, lakes, and streams. The Great Lakes contain over 20% of the world’s usable fresh surface water. Unfortunately unmitigated coal ash pollution is a major threat to the health of the state’s water and economy.
ASSOCIATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AND SCIENCES
This paper extends the work of Johnson and Hope (2012), who re-estimated the US government’s estimates of climate change damages, called the “social cost of carbon” (SCC), to more fully account for impacts on future generations. To demonstrate the policy implications of their SCC estimates, Johnson and Hope (JH) incorporated the costs of pollution into the cost of electricity generation from coal, natural gas, onshore wind, and solar photovoltaic…Overall, for new generation, we find that all JH and government SCCs justified conventional natural gas, natural gas with CCS, and wind over conventional coal. Most estimates also justified solar and coal with CCS over conventional coal, and wind over natural gas. For existing generation, at all of JH’s SCCs, continuing to operate some of the dirtiest coal plants is more expensive than replacing them with natural gas, natural gas with CCS, or wind; at their two highest estimates, this is also true for new coal with CCS and solar photovoltaic.
BIPARTISAN POLICY CENTER
Natural gas is one of America’s most important energy resources. Comparatively clean burning and less carbon intensive than oil or coal, it is used as a fuel in a wide variety of applications throughout the economy. Rapid technological advancements in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing have unlocked a large volume of gas resources in North American shale gas formations.
GOOD.IS View full infographic (GOOD.is): How Much Fuel Does it Take to Power a Lightbulb for a Year? About GOOD.is www.good.is “We are people, businesses, moms, kids, artists, organizations, policymakers, students, teachers, and engineers. All united in one simple idea, each elevated by being connected. Let’s do what works and never default to what doesn’t. […]
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