In a thinly-veiled swipe at renewable energy resources, Energy Secretary Rick Perry is reportedly ordering a study to determine whether the proliferation of renewables is threatening grid reliability by causing baseload (i.e., coal) resources to retire prematurely. The target of the report is not renewables, per se, but rather the compensation […]
Debate Flares Over Electric Grid Fuel Supplies Read More »
Countering a slow but sustained climb, data released this week by the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows that residential electricity prices for the first half of 2016 fell 0.7%, to a national average of 12.4 cents per kWh. Over the past five years, nominal residential prices have increased an average of 1.9%
Cheap Natural Gas Provides Temporary Dip In Residential Electricity Prices Read More »
For the first time ever, the rolling 12-month total of natural gas-fired power generation in the United States ending in January 2016 was higher than the rolling total for coal-fired generation. According to reports from the U.S. Energy Information Agency, this was not a one-month anomaly: the running 12-month totals for
Gas-Fired Power Generation Extends Dominance Over Coal Read More »
On March 7, I wrote about the high quantity of natural gas in storage this winter. Because natural gas is the fuel most prevalently used to generate electricity in most parts of the country, an increase in stored natural gas is likely due, at least in large part, to a decrease in withdrawals
Electricity Use Falls, Prices Follow Read More »
The U.S. Energy Information Agency (EIA) reported last week that the amount of natural gas in storage for the week ending February 26 exceeded the year-ago total by 46 percent, and the five year average by 36 percent. Despite a sustained fall in commodity prices (see table below), which should spur
Expect Continued Low Energy Prices With Record Natural Gas Storage Read More »
