Today in Energy
EIA now delivers monthly electricity data in interactive data browser
The U.S. Energy Information Administration recently posted an electricity data browser to show generation, consumption, fossil fuel receipts, stockpiles, retail sales, and electricity prices. The data appear on an interactive web page and are updated each month.
tags: consumption , electricity , forecast , generation , prices
Few transportation fuels surpass the energy densities of gasoline and diesel
Energy density and the cost, weight, and size of onboard energy storage are important characteristics of fuels for transportation. Fuels that require large, heavy, or expensive storage can reduce the space available to convey people and freight, weigh down a vehicle (making it operate less efficiently), or make it too costly to operate, even after taking account of cheaper fuels. Compared to gasoline and diesel, other options may have more energy per unit weight, but none have more energy per unit volume.
Alkylation is an important source for octane in gasoline
Alkylation (al-kuh-ley-shun) is a secondary refinery unit operation that many refineries in the United States have because it adds high octane hydrocarbons to motor and aviation gasoline. High octane hydrocarbons are needed to help prevent autoignition of gasoline (knocking) in an engine and to meet recommended engine octane ratings.
tags: liquid fuels , oil/petroleum , refining
Newer U.S. homes are 30% larger but consume about as much energy as older homes
*Note: Averages for space heating and air conditioning reflect only those households that heated or cooled their homes in 2009.
Analysis from EIA's most recent Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) shows that U.S. homes built in 2000 and later consume only 2% more energy on average than homes built prior to 2000, despite being on average 30% larger.
tags: consumption , energy efficiency , residential , states
Wind industry installs almost 5,300 MW of capacity in December
Note: Data are preliminary.
Approximately 40% of the total 2012 wind capacity additions (12,620 MW) came online in December, just before the scheduled expiration of the wind production tax credit (PTC). During December 2012, 59 new wind projects totaling 5,253 MW began commercial operation, the largest-ever single-month capacity increase for U.S. wind energy. About 50% of the total December wind capacity additions were installed in three states: Texas (1,120MW), Oklahoma (794 MW), and California (730 MW).
tags: capacity , electricity , generators , policy , states , taxes , wind
An introduction to spark spreads
The spark spread is a common metric for estimating the profitability of natural gas-fired electric generators. The spark spread is the difference between the price received by a generator for electricity produced and the cost of the natural gas needed to produce that electricity. It is typically calculated using daily spot prices for natural gas and power at various regional trading points.
tags: electricity , natural gas , prices
EIA begins posting daily energy prices on Today in Energy webpage
The U.S. Energy Information Administration has begun posting a set of key energy commodity spot and futures prices on the Today in Energy webpage. These prices provide a daily snapshot of energy markets in the United States.
tags: Brent , coal , crack spread , crude oil , diesel , electricity , ethanol , futures , gasoline , heating oil , natural gas , prices , spot prices , wholesale prices , WTI (West Texas Intermediate)
Stadiums and arenas use efficient, high wattage lamps
Most sports stadiums and indoor arenas use high intensity discharge (HID) lamps for almost all of their overhead lighting needs. On average, stadium lights have much higher wattage than other outdoor lighting applications such as billboards, roadways, and parking lots. While HID lamps are very efficient, they require significant time to warm up and achieve full brightness after being extinguished. This characteristic contributed to the length of the delay in last Sunday's Super Bowl game after a power disruption knocked out some of the stadium lighting in the Superdome.
tags: commercial , electricity , energy efficiency , lighting
Rail traffic reflects more oil production, less coal-fired electricity generation
Note: Net other commodities reflects total change in carloadings for agricultural and food products, chemicals, forest products, metallic ores and minerals, motor vehicles and parts, nonmetallic minerals and products, and various other commodities.
The record increase in U.S. crude oil production during 2012 and the significant decline in coal use for domestic electricity generation were reflected in the movement of those two commodities by rail last year. Crude oil and petroleum products accounted for the biggest increase in railcar loadings among commodities in 2012, while coal had the largest decline. Notwithstanding these changes, coal remained by far the dominant category of carload shipments, accounting for 41% of total carloads, compared to a 4% share for all petroleum and petroleum products combined.
tags: coal , crude oil , electricity , generation , liquid fuels , oil/petroleum , rail , transportation
U.S. household expenditures for gasoline account for nearly 4% of pretax income
Republished: February 15, 2013: To correct the data source of the graph.
Republished: February 12, 2013: To correct a data source in the text.
Republished: February 4, 2013, 10:00 a.m.: To correct an error in the text.
Gasoline expenditures in 2012 for the average U.S. household reached $2,912, or just under 4% of income before taxes, according to EIA estimates. This was the highest estimated percentage of household income spent on gasoline in nearly three decades, with the exception of 2008, when the average household spent a similar amount. Although overall gasoline consumption has decreased in recent years, a rise in average gasoline prices has led to higher overall household gasoline expenditures. However, these expenditures as a percentage of overall household income are still low when compared to the early 1980s, when the estimated portion of household income spent on gasoline surpassed 5%. Although travel per household has increased significantly since the early 1980s, vehicle efficiency has also risen significantly, reducing the amount of gasoline used per mile.
tags: consumption , efficiency , gasoline , liquid fuels , oil/petroleum , prices , transportation
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