As West Virginia is producing record levels of natural gas, CEA asks and answers how beneficial this has been for consumers across the state in terms of money saved and jobs created.
It has been a boon not just in cost savings, but in job creation. Since 2010, construction and drilling jobs increased 77.54 percent, employing nearly 12,000. In comparison, all other industries experienced just a 15.74 percent increase in employment combined.
Read more – The Exponent Telegram
CEA’s Andrew Browning applauds the the Governor of Utah as well as the Ute Indian Tribe of Uintah and Ouray reservations for working with the Wyoming Governor’s Office and leaders in several Colorado counties to advance exports of natural gas to markets overseas.
There’s also a fast-growing demand for U.S.-produced liquid natural gas in Asian markets looking to reduce industry-related emissions and lower energy costs, a must in the fight against poverty and for improving environmental conditions there and, in turn, here, making the export strategy a win, economically and environmentally.
Read more – Deseret News
CEA’s Chris Ventura demonstrates the broad impact of record-setting energy production out of the Appalachian region and how it has benefited Ohio families and businesses.
Local energy production and infrastructure investments have lowered energy costs and helped ease the burden on households in poverty and those living paycheck to paycheck, providing them with the ability to pay for necessities like clothes, groceries and medications.
Read more – The Columbus Dispatch
Many current nuclear power plants are large, but NuScale Power says the future of nuclear energy is smaller, less expensive and safer. The proposed small modular reactors would use 12 of the SMRs in place of the large nuclear power plant. Nuclear energy can be used as a backup power source for renewables like solar and wind. Another benefit of small modular reactors is the ability for the power to be dispatched even quicker than traditional and larger plants. Moreover, without using any additional water or relying on pumps or generators that could fail. Instead, the reactors would be inside a containment vessel, in a pool of water underground.
The INGAA Foundation recently released a study outlining the future of natural gas as a key player in America’s energy future. The report looks at two different scenarios: one that takes a balanced approach to our energy future and the other that focuses more heavily on growing renewables. Natural gas is necessary in both scenarios, where it is a key player in transitioning to a lower-carbon future.
Researchers at UCLA studying perovskite, a solar cell material, found that caffeine may be able to improve stability and efficiency of solar panels. Caffeine is specifically being looked at to improve perovskite, which is cheaper than the current silicon that is used to produce solar cells today. One of the issues researchers came across with perovskite, holding it back from commercial use, was that the material on its own cannot sustain heat and moisture like silicon. Yet, with caffeine, which boils at 300 degrees Celsius, perovskite is able to remain stable for longer.
The U.S. Geothermal energy market is set to grow $8507 million by 2024. With uses both in the civil and military sectors, geothermal energy demand will increase over the next few years. As geothermal energy is produced from the heat within the earth, it produces less emissions than other energy resources.
In a study released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the United States is reported to have produced, consumed and exported at record levels in 2018. Production levels reached 96 quadrillion British thermal units – up 8% from 2017. Natural gas and oil accounted for 57% of all U.S. energy production, a natural gas increase of 12% and 17% increase in oil. Additionally, Renewables increased 4% from 2017. Energy exports also grew 18% to 21 quadrillion Btu, with 68% of all U.S. energy exports in 2018. Consumption also increased 4% in 2018, reaching a record high of 101 quadrillion Btu.
It happens every year: the weather warms up, the air conditioner runs more often, and your energy bills go up. With the warm and sunny weather quickly approaching, now is a great time to think about some simple DIY home improvement projects that will save you money on your summer energy bills. Here are five easy ways to put some money back in your pocket this summer:
It’s not uncommon for doors and windows to let warm air in from outside when improperly sealed. Other common areas of your home that may be letting air in or out are your attic or basement. Leaks like these can cost you hundreds of dollars a year! Thankfully, there are a few DIY options to patch these leaks up yourself:
Sealing all gaps will keep both the warm air from getting inside and keep your cool air from escaping, making your home more energy efficient and lowering your energy bill.
If your home is still feeling drafty after making sure that the doors and windows are sealed, it’s possible you’re still leaking air somewhere else. Here are a few other places to look:
3. Turn down your water heater
Turn the temperature of your water heater down as it warms up outside. Water heating can account for upwards of 18% of the energy consumed in your home, turning the temperature down will not only conserve energy, but save you money on your energy bills!
We’ve already talked about a few ways to minimize air flow through your windows, but sometimes structural issues that cannot be fixed with weatherstripping or caulking can cause your windows to let in warm air. Here are a couple of things that can help:
If you don’t already have one, a programmable thermostat can save you hundreds of dollars in heating and cooling costs. Not to mention, installing one is relatively simple.
Kaitlin Schmidtke, CEA’s Louisiana State Director, explores how oil and natural gas and their delivery are vital to other state sectors like agriculture, manufacturing and more.
And thanks to low natural gas prices, more than $142 billion in energy manufacturing projects have been announced statewide in recent years. Each will profit intertwining industries like hotels, restaurants, foot traffic at storefronts and ports, which support 77,000 jobs and $4 billion-plus in wages.
Read more – The Advocate
Kevin Doyle, CEA’s Vice President for State Affairs, defines the need for South Carolina to be a part of offshore discussions.
To understand why, look no further than how much South Carolina families spend annually on energy-related expenses, including electricity, heating and gasoline: $3,763, according to federal data.Those are hard-to-pay bills for many. They’re even harder for the 15 percent of South Carolinians living in poverty and countless others on fixed or low incomes.
Read more – The Post and Courier
Policies championed by New York’s political class to prevent the construction and modernization of our energy infrastructure has unnecessarily increased prices for families and businesses across the Empire State, unfortunately leading to fewer jobs and economic opportunities.
When public policy restricts energy supplies, the inevitable result is higher prices. In the case of electricity, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported New England’s average electric costs in 2017 at 16.58 cents per Kilowatt-hour, the costliest regional average in the 48 contiguous states. New York electric consumers paid 14.74 cents per Kilowatt-hour, the highest outside of New England in the lower 48 except for California. In energy-rich Pennsylvania, electricity went for 10.13 per Kilowatt-hour in 2017, placing a projected policy price premium for electricity at 46% in New York and 64% in New England.
Higher energy costs and less reliable supplies act to put further downward pressure on a regional economy that’s already been losing residents and investment to other states. The U.S. Census Bureau estimating that 167,000 more people moved out of New York to other states than moved in in 2017, with Massachusetts seeing a net loss of 27,000 to domestic migration that year. Meanwhile, Gov. Cuomo has warned of a tax revenue shortfall of $2.3 billion, as higher income New Yorkers move to avoid paying the state’s high taxes.
Read more – Forbes
Ozarks Electric Cooperative and Today’s Power, Inc. alongside the city of Fayetteville, Arkansas, are working on a storage solution for a proposed solar energy facility with 12-megawatts of solar energy generation, with a storage capacity of 24-megawatt hours. At the same time, Entergy Arkansas and NextEra recently announced plans for a 100-megawatt solar energy facility that will be able to store up to 30-megawatt hours.
As the cannabis industry grows, so too does the demand for energy from numerous utilities across the country. Estimated to grow another 162% until 2022, electricity demand and costs are now at the forefront of the minds of both utility companies looking at how to meet rising demand and cultivators budgeting for overhead costs. Studies show marijuana growers are 10 times as energy intensive as a regular office building. As growers look to make profits, many are turning to energy efficiency to cut energy costs and meet emissions goals.
The American Wind Energy Association recently released its 2018 U.S. Wind Industry Annual Market Report, view the executive summary here. Up 8% in 2018, wind energy growth is on the rise nationwide with over 114,000 jobs supported in all 50 states. With increased growth, so too have annual state and local tax payments, with investments rising to over $1 billion to state and local governments and private landowners.
The Bakken Pipeline is a 600-mile natural gas pipeline that can transport 60,000 barrels of natural gas liquids a day according to the project website. The Public Service Commission recently approved a siting permit for a pipeline project that will connect ONEOK Bakken Pipeline, LLC’s, natural gas processing plant with a pipeline in Montana. The new steel pipeline is designed to carry up to 1.68 million gallons of natural gas liquids per day.
Used for keeping things like our food, medicines and donated blood cold, cold storage warehouses are using robots to help run the show. One of the four ways robots are being used in the facilities is in the area of energy efficiency and conservation. Automated storage and retrieval systems are able to provide more storage density in a small space, and save a hefty 30-50% in energy consumption. Automation also helps reduce the need for as many people entering the warehouses, thus reducing the amount of cool air released each time the door is opened.
New York State Association for Affordable Housing talked about the hardships families will face if New York City does not get access to additional supplies of natural gas.
Read more – Crain’s New York
