Energy In-depth: U.S. Renewable Energy Surges to Historic Levels
by October 9, 2015 5:15 am 83 views
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NEW REPORT: U.S. RENEWABLE ENERGY SURGES TO HISTORIC LEVELS – America’s reliance on wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources has reached historic levels and is poised to make even greater gains in the near future, according to a new report by the Natural Resources Defense Council.
NRDC’s Third Annual Energy Report, “A Tectonic Shift in America’s Energy Landscape,” found the energy sector in the U.S. emitted less dangerous carbon pollution last year than in 1996, with a full 10% reduction over the past decade. Meanwhile, coal and electricity consumption are down nationwide, while oil use today is lower than in the early 1970s, the report shows.
The report cites two important U.S. advances this year in the global fight against catastrophic climate change: the Obama administration’s August release of the Clean Power Plan to limit power plant pollution and California‘s recently signed new climate legislation. The report also notes the country is already two-thirds of the way toward meeting President Obama’s goal of cutting 3 billion tons of carbon pollution by 2030 through the administration’s efficiency standards for appliances and federal buildings.
To read the full report and view other findings, click here.
MONTHLY POWER GENERATION FROM NATURAL GAS SURPASSES COAL AGAIN: The monthly natural gas share of total U.S. electricity generation surpassed the coal share in July for the second time ever, with natural gas fueling 35% of total generation to coal’s 34.9% share. Compared to the previous July, coal-fired generation fell in every region of the country, while natural gas-fired generation rose in every region, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Earlier this year, natural gas-fired generation surpassed generation from coal for the first time. This switch occurred in April, generally the month with the lowest demand for electricity. In times of low electricity demand, many generators schedule routine maintenance, and utilization rates for generating plants are low. As demand increases during the summer, output from both coal- and natural gas-fired generators increases. Read more here.
INDONESIA OFFICIALLY ASKS OPEC TO REACTIVATE ITS MEMBERSHIP: Indonesia has submitted an official request to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to reactivate its full membership in the oil cartel. The request has been circulated to all OPEC member countries for their consideration and approval. Indonesian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, His Excellency Sudirman Said, will now be invited to attend the next regular meeting of the OPEC Conference on December 4, 2015, where the cartel will formally reactivate Indonesia’s membership.
OPEC was founded in Baghdad, Iraq, with the signing of an agreement in September 1960 by founding members Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. These countries were later joined by Qatar, Indonesia, Libya, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Nigeria, Ecuador, Gabon and Angola. From December 1992 until October 2007, Ecuador suspended its membership. Gabon terminated its membership in 1995, while Indonesia suspended its membership in January 2009.
EPA CHIEF TOURS LITTLE ROCK’S CREATIVE CORRIDOR, DEFENDS CLEAN POWER PLAN: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy on Wednesday (Oct. 7) defiantly shook off criticism that the final rules for the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan have been purposely delayed, saying federal regulators have moved forward as swiftly as possible to publish details of the president’s climate change plan. As EPA chief, McCarthy made her first-ever trip to Arkansas in recognition of National Children’s Health Month in Little Rock, where she joined a host of city representatives and students from eStem Public Charter School for an outdoor classroom on the newly completed Creative Corridor in the downtown area. Read more here.