Researchers out of Lund University in Sweden have created a new iron molecule to help bring down the cost of solar energy. The iron molecule would replace the more expensive and rarer metals like ruthenium, osmium and iridium, that are typically used in production. As iron is present in 6% of the Earth’s crust, the metal is more common and thus easier to source than the rarer metals, making the metal less expensive as well. The iron molecules would work as a photocatalysts to produce fuel and in the solar cells to produce electricity by absorbing solar rays to use their energy.

In the last week of 2018, the U.S. LNG exports surpassed 5 billion cubic feet per day – a record high for the United States ­– and 60% increase since 2017. The three U.S. LNG export facilities are located in Sabine Pass (LA), Cove Point (MD), Corpus Christi (TX) with expansion looking to three other cities into 2019.

Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, is setting his eye on the future of nuclear power and how the U.S. can be a leader in the field. As the Chairman of the Board for TerraPower, a nuclear innovation company, Gates says a project that was once slated to be built in China, may be able to be built in the United States. Currently the U.S. ranks as the world’s largest producer of nuclear power with nearly 100,000 megawatts with 98 operational reactors.

In a recent announcement, the U.S. DOE noted federal funding of approximately $4.8 million for universities working on research and development projects related to blockchain. The initiative was launched to produce innovative technology including early-stage technologies that help bring more affordable domestic energy resources and improved electric grids. Some of the projects to use blockchain could include “secure process signal data and other information flows within distributed sensor networks for fossil-based power generation systems”, the department said. Other areas of R&D interest to DOE include: water reuse processes, measuring chemical elements in coal fly ash, and computing resources for coal plants to generate analytical results.

Duke Energy, just announced its completion of a 74.9-megawatt solar power plant in Jasper, FL – one step in the company’s commitment to install 700 MW of solar energy across the state through 2022. Duke has installed approximately 300,000 solar panels so far within their service territory of about 1.8 million customers. The Hamilton Solar Power Plant is expected to generate enough energy to power more than 20,000 homes. Duke has also unveiled plans for another plant to begin construction this year in Fort White – the Columbia Solar Power Plant – another 74.9-MW towards their goal.

U.S. October crude oil production and natural gas output set record highs per data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration– more than 11.5 million barrels per day and 96.7 billion cubic feet per day, respectively. The United State has become the world’s leading crude oil producer, surpassing Russia and Saudi Arabia, as production rose 79,000 barrels per day from September to 11.537 million in October. Also up from its September numbers in gross natural gas production in the lower 48 states – an all-time high of 96.7 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) in October, up from the 96.0 bcfd record set in September.

An 800-megawatt offshore wind farm is set to be the first large offshore wind farm in the U.S. – the Vineyard Wind project. Construction is slated to begin in 2019 about 55 kilometers south of the Massachusetts mainland. Undersea transmission cable will be laid between the project site and Cape Cod, where the cable will connect in Barnstable, and from there to the New England power grid.

As the United States has continued to grow its crude oil production and natural gas output, it’s vital that additional energy infrastructure projects are put into motion to help need growing energy needs and demands – this means oil and natural gas pipelines, transmission lines and power plants. According to data provided by the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, Canada, and the U.S. will need to add 7.7 million barrels per data of new oil transport capacity to ensure demands can be met.

The U.S. Department of Energy is reportedly looking into floating solar panels as a new study, and first of its kind in the U.S. comes from the Energy Department’s Natural Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado. The study found that more than 24,000 man-made U.S. reservoirs would be suitable for this innovative technology and could generate about 10% of the nation’s annual electricity production. Although many questions remain to be answered in regards to conservation efforts, a motivating factor in installing these floating solar panels is to help utilities get more out of their existing transmission systems and increase renewable energy across the nation. Currently, the U.S. only has seven floating PV sites as of December 2017, where other countries like Japan have over 100.

In 2018 the U.S. surpassed 1GW of deployed energy storage – enough energy to power about 700,000 homes. Moving into 2019, how can policymakers and the industry work together to grow storage? The main concerns seem to be surrounding policy, fire safety, access to lithium-ion cells and end-of-life care.