Today in Energy
Energy Perspectives: For most fuel sources, domestic production has been increasing
In 2011, the United States produced about 78 quadrillion Btu (quads) of energy, more than at any point in the nation's history. More than three-quarters of this energy production came from nonrenewable fossil fuels: coal, natural gas, crude oil, and natural gas plant liquids. Despite rising production, the United States was a net energy importer, consuming more than 97 quads of energy in 2011.
tags: biomass , coal , crude oil , energy , Energy Perspectives , liquid fuels , natural gas , nuclear , production , renewable , series
Energy Perspectives: The United States has a varied and complex energy flow chart
Note: Click to enlarge
Note: This is the first of several Today in Energy articles that will run over the next week and a half focusing on EIA's Energy Perspectives, a graphical overview of energy history in the United States.
The United States flow of energy from supply to demand is complex. Petroleum, natural gas, and coal together account for about 82% of our energy use, with renewable and nuclear energy providing the rest of our energy use. The United States is both an importer and exporter of energy.
tags: consumption , energy , Energy Perspectives , exports , imports , production , series
Fluid catalytic cracking is an important step in producing gasoline
Refineries vary by complexity; more complex refineries have more secondary conversion capability, meaning they can produce different types of petroleum products. Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC), a type of secondary unit operation, is primarily used in producing additional gasoline in the refining process.
tags: liquid fuels , oil/petroleum , refining , technology
Vacuum distillation is a key part of the petroleum refining process
About 80% of the refineries operating in the United States have a vacuum distillation unit (VDU), a secondary processing unit consisting of vacuum distillation columns. Vacuum distillation is a part of the refining process that helps to produce petroleum products out of the heavier oils left over from atmospheric distillation.
tags: liquid fuels , oil/petroleum , refining , technology
EIA projections for carbon dioxide emissions reflect changes in key drivers
Note: Solid portions of each series show history as of each publication; dotted portions show projections. ARRA2009 denotes the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Projections for U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have generally been lowered in recent editions of the Annual Energy Outlook (AEO), the long-term projections of the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The lowered projections reflect both market and policy developments that have reduced recent and projected growth in energy demand and its expected carbon intensity. The chart presents projected energy-related CO2 emissions from AEOs issued since 2009 in terms of changes relative to emissions in 2005, a commonly used comparison year, particularly with regard to mitigation targets.
Cheaper natural gas alters generation dispatch in Southeast
Note: Summer months include June, July, and August. The Southeast United States consists of the East South Central and South Atlantic U.S. Census Divisions
The electric power industry in the southeastern United States has undergone substantial changes over the past three years. While coal-fired power plants continue to generate more than half of electricity in the region, coal-fired generation has declined since 2010, and production from natural gas-fired plants has increased. This change can be primarily attributed to changes in the relative prices of natural gas and coal, which altered the dispatch order of power plants in the region.
tags: coal , electricity , generation , natural gas , prices
EIA projections show U.S. energy production growing faster than consumption through 2040
EIA has just issued its Annual Energy Outlook 2013 (AEO2013) Reference case, which highlights a growth in total U.S. energy production that exceeds growth in total U.S. energy consumption through 2040.
U.S. monthly crude oil production reaches highest level since 1998
U.S. crude oil production (including lease condensate) averaged almost 6.5 million barrels per day in September 2012, the highest volume in nearly 15 years. The last time the United States produced 6.5 million barrels per day or more of crude oil was in January 1998. Since September 2011, U.S. production has increased by more than 900,000 barrels per day. Most of that increase is due to production from oil-bearing rocks with very low permeability through the use of horizontal drilling combined with hydraulic fracturing. The states with the largest increases are Texas and North Dakota.
tags: Colorado , crude oil , Eagle Ford , liquid fuels , North Dakota , oil/petroleum , Oklahoma , production , states , technology , Texas , Wyoming
EIA projects little change in U.S. coal production in 2013
EIA's Short-Term Energy Outlook projects total U.S. coal production in 2013 to be close to its 2012 level in the November 2012 Short-Term Energy Outlook as coal stockpile drawdowns and lower exports offset a projected increase in domestic coal consumption.
tags: coal , electricity , exports , production , STEO (Short-Term Energy Outlook)
Canada Week: Natural gas net imports from Canada continue to decline
Note: Data for 2012 reflect averages of all months from Jan-August, 2012. Import and export volumes exclude in-transit gas.
Net imports of natural gas from Canada have been falling for years. Rising shale gas production in the United States, especially in the Northeast, is key among several factors affecting this trend. For the first eight months in 2012, net imports from Canada fell by about 7%, to 5.7 billion cubic feet per day (Bcfd), from the same period in 2011. This resulted from high levels of U.S. natural gas production coupled with record-high inventory in underground natural gas storage. United States net imports for 2012 year-to-date accounted for around 8% of U.S. total natural gas consumption, the lowest level since 1992.
tags: Canada , exports , imports , international , natural gas , series
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