The United States tends to produce lighter crude oil and import heavier crude oil
In 2018, total U.S. crude oil production grew by 17%, led by increased production of relatively light, less dense crude oil. The increase in light crude oil production is largely the result of the growth in crude oil production from shale and tight rock formations, which are now more accessible because of improvements in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing.
EIA offers two approaches to compare renewable electricity generation with other sources
Note: Reflects net generation at utility-scale facilities (greater than 1 megawatt capacity) in all sectors. Noncombustible renewable electricity includes hydroelectric, wind, solar, and geothermal.
The share of electricity generation from noncombustible renewable energy sources—solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal—for power generation is increasing. To compare the energy consumption for electricity from noncombustible renewable sources with other energy sources, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) offers two approaches: the fossil fuel equivalence approach and the captured energy approach. The choice of approach may serve different analytical or statistical needs.
Tags: generation, electricity, renewables
EIA launches redesigned Hourly Electric Grid Monitor with new data and functionality
Today, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) launches a beta release of its new Hourly Electric Grid Monitor, a redesigned and enhanced version of EIA’s existing U.S. Electric System Operating Data website. The Hourly Electric Grid Monitor incorporates two new data elements: hourly electricity generation by energy source and hourly subregional demand for certain balancing authorities in the Lower 48 states. The new website also provides new and more flexible options for visualizing the data and allows users to create custom dashboards that can be saved and shared.
The U.S. leads global petroleum and natural gas production with record growth in 2018
Note: Petroleum includes crude oil, condensate, and natural gas plant liquids.
U.S. petroleum and natural gas production increased by 16% and by 12%, respectively, in 2018, and these totals combined established a new production record. The United States surpassed Russia in 2011 to become the world's largest producer of natural gas and surpassed Saudi Arabia in 2018 to become the world's largest producer of petroleum. Last year’s increase in the United States was one of the largest absolute petroleum and natural gas production increases from a single country in history.
Natural gas deliveries to U.S. LNG export facilities set a record in July
Note: U.S. LNG exports for July 2019 are EIA estimates based on tanker loadings data provided by Bloomberg L.P.
Natural gas deliveries to U.S. facilities producing liquefied natural gas (LNG) for export set a monthly record in July 2019, averaging 6.0 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d)—7% of the total U.S. dry natural gas production—according to data from OPIS PointLogic Energy. In the first seven months of 2019, natural gas feedstock deliveries to LNG export facilities have been the fastest growing among all U.S. natural gas consumption sectors.
Annual U.S. refinery runs expected to decline for first time in 10 years
U.S. gross inputs to refineries, also known as refinery runs, have increased each year since 2009, most recently reaching a record high of 17.3 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2018. However, based on its monthly refinery run data through May and forecast for the remainder of 2019, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects refinery runs to decline and average 17.0 million b/d in 2019.
Investor-owned utilities served 72% of U.S. electricity customers in 2017
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) electric power sector survey data, almost 3,000 electric distribution companies—or utilities—were operating in the United States in 2017. EIA classifies utilities into three ownership types: investor-owned utilities, publicly run or managed utilities, and cooperatives. Although there are fewer investor-owned utilities than the other two types of utilities, they tend to be very large. Investor-owned utilities serve three out of every four utility customers nationwide.
Tags: electricity, utility
State-level average annual gasoline expenditures per capita ranged from $400 to $1,400
Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) new Key Statistics and Indicators section of the State Energy Data System (SEDS) show that nominal per capita U.S. motor gasoline expenditures (the amount of money spent to consume motor gasoline in the United States) averaged $1,072 in 2017, an 11% increase from 2016 and the first annual increase since its peak of more than $1,500 in 2012. Wyoming had the largest average motor gasoline expenditures per capita of any state in 2017 at $1,441, while New York had the smallest of any state at $708. Average expenditures in the District of Columbia were lower than all states at $395.
U.S. solar module imports partially recover after tariffs were imposed in early 2018
The United States imposed tariffs on imported silicon solar cells and modules in January 2018. Module imports decreased in the months following the tariffs’ announcement and effective date, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s monthly data of solar photovoltaic (PV) module shipments. U.S. solar PV module imports, measured in the modules' capacity in kilowatts, increased in mid-2017, before the tariffs were announced, and then fell to less than 300,000 kilowatts in the months following the tariff’s effective date in February 2018.
Tags: exports/imports, solar
Australia is on track to become world’s largest LNG exporter
Australia is on track to surpass Qatar as the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter, according to Australia’s Department of Industry, Innovation, and Science (DIIS). Australia already surpasses Qatar in LNG export capacity and exported more LNG than Qatar in November 2018 and April 2019. Within the next year, as Australia’s newly commissioned projects ramp up and operate at full capacity, EIA expects Australia to consistently export more LNG than Qatar.