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“We expect 2024 to be hotter than it was last year with around 1,550 cooling degree days (5% more than in 2023).”
EIA notable quote
EIA – Electricity/General:
“We expect total U.S. generation will grow by 3%, or 114 billion kilowatthours (BkWh), in 2024 and by 1%, or 33 BkWh, in 2025.”
EIA – Renewables/General:
“EIA expects electricity from solar, wind, and hydropower combined to account for 22% of total U.S. generation in 2024, increasing to 24% in 2025. Electricity from those three sources had made up 21% of U.S. generation in 2023.”
EIA – Solar:
“Solar supplies most of our forecast growth in U.S. electricity generation this year. … we forecast generation from utility-scale solar will contribute almost 60% of [the] increase … [in] U.S. electricity generation.
“Utility-scale solar photovoltaic power plants generate 41% (66 BkWh) more electricity in 2024 in our forecast compared with 2023 as a result of 19-GW of generating capacity that was added late last year and 37-GW of solar capacity scheduled to be added this year. The increase in solar generation will be especially pronounced in summer 2024 (June–September). We expect solar generation will increase a further 25% (58 BkWh) in 2025.
“In 2025, we expect generation from solar to exceed the contribution from hydroelectricity for the first year in history.”
EIA – Wind:
“We expect an increase of 5% (21 BkWh) from wind generation in 2024 with about 7-GW more generating capacity at the end of April than at the same time last year. However, wind speeds in recent months have been slower than normal. If this pattern continues, annual wind generation this year could be less than expected. Our forecast of wind generation grows 3% (14 BkWh) in 2025. … wind contributes 19% of 2024 U.S. electricity generation growth.”
EIA – Hydropower:
“On an annual basis, we forecast 6% (14 BkWh) more U.S. hydropower in 2024 than in 2023. Higher water supply in key areas of the Southeast and Northwest this year are the main driver of our forecast increase in hydropower generation. Most hydropower is generated in the western half of the country, but we expect that the Southeast will be the region with the largest increase in hydroelectric generation this year (up 10%). We expect U.S. hydropower will again grow by 6% in 2025, with growth centered in the Northwest. …. hydropower contributes 13% [of 2024 U.S. electricity generation growth].”
Renewables’ projected share of electrical generation in 2024: wind – 10.8%, hydro – 6.1%, solar – 5.6%, bioenergy + geothermal – 1%
2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
U.S. solar capacity 61,009 72,248 91,622 128,217 158,172
(megawatts)
U.S. wind capacity 132,629 141,275 147,628 154,894 159,952
(megawatts)
SUN DAY Campaign – editorial note: EIA’s STEO confirms the SUN DAY Campaign’s forecast of the past two years: utility-scale solar capacity should roughly equal that of wind at some point in 2025.
U.S. Renewable Energy Supply [Figure 35]
(Quadrillion Btu)
Energy Source 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Liquid biofuels 2.331 2.433 2.659 2.759 2.895
Wood biomass 1.989 2.012 1.918 2.024 2.071
Waste biomass 0.430 0.412 0.398 0.396 0.393
Wind power 1.289 1.481 1.450 1.522 1.572
Solar 0.627 0.765 0.878 1.145 1.384
Hydropower 0.858 0.869 0.818 0.870 0.916
Geothermal 0.118 0.118 0.120 0.117 0.114
EIA – Nuclear Power:
Nuclear power’s share of U.S. electricity generation in both 2024 and 2025 will be 19.1%.
EIA – Natural Gas:
“The increased generation from renewables is likely to constrain growth in generation from natural gas-fired power plants, even with relatively low natural gas prices in the forecast. We expect U.S. natural gas generation in 2024 will be relatively flat throughout the forecast period.
We expect U.S. dry natural gas production to fall by 2% from the first quarter of 2024 to 2Q24 as a result of low natural gas prices. We expect 1% less natural gas will be produced in the U.S. in 2024 than last year before production increases by 2% in 2025 to a record of almost 105 billion cubic feet per day. … We expect that less consumption in the industrial sector will offset increases in natural gas consumption in the electric power, residential, and commercial sectors.”
EIA – Coal:
“Low natural gas prices and retirements of coal-fired capacity will continue to reduce U.S. coal generation, which we forecast will decline 4% (28 BkWh) in 2023 and 7% (48 BkWh) in 2024.” *
“[W]e … expect coal production will decline by 14% in 2024 to about 500 million short tons and then fall by about 1% next year. But more coal exports in this STEO compared with last month’s forecast mean the decline is less than we had forecast last month; we raised our forecast for U.S. coal production from last month by 3% in 2024 and by 6% in 2025.”
*Coal’s share of electrical generation will drop from 28.4% in 2018 to 15.5% in 2024 and to 14.3% in 2025.
Electricity Generation – All Sectors [Figure 30]
(billion kilowatt-hours)
Year | Gas | Coal | Nuclear | Hydro | Solar+Wind | Other | Total | RE-%
2020
1.522
0.768
0.790
0.284
0.426
0.027
3.854
19.12%
2021
1.477
0.892
0.780
0.250
0.493
0.029
3.958
19.50%
2022
1.583
0.826
0.772
0.254
0.577
0.030
4.074
21.13%
2023
1.695
0.671
0.775
0.239
0.588
0.023
4.022
21.13%
2024
1.720
0.643
0.790
0.253
0.676
0.024
4.136
23.04%
2025
1.712
0.595
0.797
0.267
0.749
0.024
4.170
24.94%
CO2 Emissions:
EIA – CO2 Emissions: “U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide emissions decrease year-over-year in almost every quarter during the forecast period, continuing an ongoing downward trend, and leading to 1% fewer annual emissions in 2025 compared with 2023. Coal-related CO2 emissions decline by 4% in 2024 as coal-fired electricity generation continues to fall. Natural gas emission rise by around 1% over the course of the year, mostly from increased natural-gas-fired power generation during 1Q24 and increased residential and commercial sector consumption in 4Q24. Petroleum emissions remain relatively unchanged in 2024.
“U.S. CO2 emissions in our forecast decline by 1% from 2024 to 2025. Small reductions in CO2 emissions are mostly a result of continued changes in the electricity generation mix. Continued decreases in coal-fired generation reduce emissions in 2Q24 and 4Q24, and decreasing natural gas-fired generation reduces emissions in 3Q24.”
Unlike peer nations, the US has endured a steep rise in traffic deaths, with fatalities among pedestrians and cyclists, who are at elevated risk in a crash with a huge car, recently hitting 40-year highs.
Car Bloat Car bloat also threatens the planet. Because heavier vehicles require more energy to move, they tend to gulp rather than sip the gasoline or electricity that powers them, increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Extra weight also accelerates the erosion of roadways and tires, straining highway maintenance budgets and releasing microplastics that damage ecosystems.
CAFE Instead of setting a single fuel economy standard that applies to all cars, CAFE has two of them: one for passenger cars, such as sedans and station wagons, and a separate, more lenient standard for “light trucks,” including pickups and SUVs.
Chicken Tax In the early 1960s, Europe raised the ire of American officials by slapping a 50 percent tariff on chicken exported from the United States. In retaliation, the US enacted a 25 percent tax on pickup trucks imported from abroad. The dispute is long forgotten, but the “Chicken Tax” lives on.
Section 179 A Hummer 1, for instance, weighs about 10,300 pounds (leading Section 179 to be dubbed the “Hummer Tax Loophole”). Other huge cars, such as a Chevrolet Suburban or an F-250 Ford Super Duty truck can qualify, too.
Highway Trust Fund Every time a car owner fills her gas tank, a portion of the bill goes into the federal Highway Trust Fund, a central source of funding for roads and mass transit.
That tax rate is set at $0.184 per gallon, a level that has been frozen since 1993
That tax rate is set at $0.184 per gallon, a level that has been frozen since 1993, when Bill Clinton was less than a year into his presidency. Congressional proposals to increase the gas tax to close a yawning highway budget gap, or at least tie it to inflation, have gone nowhere. Over the last 31 years, consumer prices have risen 113 percent, making the real value of the gas tax less than half what it was in 1993.
Solution It need not begin with new regulations or taxes. Federal leaders could do a world of good if they simply unwind the ill-advised policies already on the books.
Mountain Valley Pipeline segment ruptures during test
Company says event shows that the testing process is working as ‘designed and intended’
By Charlie Paullin | Virginia Mercury May 8, 2024 | Full story
A picture of a ruptured section of the Mountain Valley Pipeline circulating on social media this week ignited a fury of opposition from those who have protested the project for years.
“We have warned regulatory officials that MVP is a reckless company tossing corroding pipes into landslide prone mountain slopes in a rush to meet its contract obligations. It is past time for our safety to come first.”
The damaged pipeline, which the photo showed being hauled down a roadway, was the end result of hydrotesting on a section of the mainline pipe on May 1 near Route 221 on Bent Mountain. The incident came as the pipeline’s developers asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for an in-service date of June 1, a decision protesters continue to oppose.
“The earth-shattering disasters MVP continues to cause on the methane gas pipeline route are a terrifying forecast for the future of people and planet if FERC allows it to go into service.”
The Mountain Valley Pipeline is a 303-mile natural gas pipeline intended to deliver natural gas from the Utica Shales of West Virginia into Virginia’s Pittsylvania County. A separate Southgate extension proposal — that environmental groups are also opposing and the company calls necessary to meet energy needs in North Carolina — aims to continue the pipeline by way of a new plan announced in December that scuttles a previously planned compressor station.
PHMSA Consent Agreement and Order – Equitrans Midstream (16-page PDF)
May 9, 2024 – The 303-mile, 42-inch diameter pipeline, which stretches from Wetzel County, West Virginia, to Pittsylvania County, Virginia, has been one of the most contested fossil fuel infrastructure projects of recent years.
May 10, 2024 – State regulators on Friday cited the Mountain Valley Pipeline for violations of environmental rules and ordered the developers of the $7.85 billion natural gas project to pay a $31,500 fine.
May 10, 2024 – In spite of assurances from builders of the Mountain Valley Pipeline that it’s ready for service, some residents of a Virginia community want more answers. Residents reported the sediment-laden water in creeks and on property on the morning of May 1 to the state’s Department of Environmental Quality. It took nearly a week for the pipeline’s builder and state and federal agencies to respond to West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s questions about the pipeline failure. People who live near the pipeline have encountered similar frustrations.
May 11, 2024 – State regulators again cited the Mountain Valley Pipeline for environmental violations, and are seeking another $31,500 in fines that total more than $2 million over the past five years. In an email sent Friday, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality informed the company that its inspections found at least 13 cases of non-compliance with erosion and sedimentation control regulations.
EPA Issues Consent Order to MAX Environmental Technologies to Ensure Compliance with Hazardous Waste Rules at Westmoreland County Facility
By David E. Hess | PA Environment Digest Blog April 29, 2024 | Full story
On April 29, Max Environmental Technologies, Inc. has agreed to a consent order that includes several actions to ensure compliance with federal and state hazardous waste safeguards at the company’s waste facility in Yukon, Westmoreland County, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced.
MAX owns and operates a 160-acre facility, surrounded by agricultural and residential properties, about 30 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.
According to EPA, this site is an area with potential environmental justice concerns.
MAX conducts waste operations under permits issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection pursuant to the federal Clean Water Act and the Resource Conservation Recovery Act. RCRA is the principal federal hazardous waste storage and disposal statute.
Among the hazardous wastes at the MAX facility are wastewater treatment sludge, corrosives, arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, selenium, silver, electric arc furnace dust, and waste acid/pickle liquor.
Waste management units include five closed impoundments, an active solid waste landfill, waste storage tanks and containers, hazardous waste treatment units, and a leachate management system that generates sludge from wastewater treatment.
EPA officials inspected the facility in March 20-24, 2023, to determine MAX’s compliance with environmental regulations, including the terms of its PA DEP-issued CWA and RCRA permits.
According to EPA, its inspectors documented several RCRA permit violations, including but not limited to: (1) unlawful disposal of hazardous waste in the solid waste landfill at the facility, (2) failure to maintain a containment building, and (3) failure to keep the hazardous waste containers closed to prevent hazardous waste release.
The Consent Order announced today addresses RCRA and state hazardous waste requirements.
MAX has agreed to immediate measures to eliminate the potential release of solid and hazardous waste into the environment and to ensure that future ongoing operations do not cause or contribute to releases at the facility.
The RCRA consent order requirements include, but are not limited to:
Prohibition of disposal of untreated and treated hazardous waste in the facility’s landfill, unless it has been reviewed and analyzed by a third-party auditor and unaffiliated PA DEP-accredited laboratory.
Retention of an EPA approved third party Professional Engineer to perform a structural evaluation and recommendations to repair or modify the containment and processing building and containment pads.
Monitoring and sampling of residential wells adjacent to the facility.
Monthly progress reports and meetings with EPA project managers to evaluate the compliance actions stated in the Consent Order
Stipulated Penalties
The consent order includes stipulated penalties for violating the order of $73,045 for each day of violations.
EPA worked closely with PA DEP in investigating conditions and negotiating this consent order that addresses compliance with RCRA and state hazardous waste compliance.
EPA and PA DEP are currently reviewing MAX’s compliance with its CWA permit.
At the request of MAX Environmental, DEP and the Environmental Quality Board are considering a regulation change to delist the sludge generated from the treatment disposal impoundment and landfill leachate as a hazardous waste from both the Yukon and Bulger facilities.
The proposed regulation was published for comment in January 2022 when three virtual hearings were held. Read more here.
On Friday, April 19, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency filed a Consent Order on MAX Environmental Technologies, Inc., allowing its Yukon facility to continue operations in a limited capacity.
This landfill stands out as the only facility in Pennsylvania that is permitted to treat and dispose of hazardous waste from commercial and industrial sources. However, it has a long history of violations and is in serious disrepair, according to EPA’s March 2023 NEIC Civil Investigation and December 2023 Notice of Violations.
Violations highlight MAX’s long list of failures to do the following:
Along with restricted operations, the order includes an expert evaluation of its current operations, increased oversight by the EPA and DEP, and a requirement for MAX to make improvements to the facility.
After learning about the order, the Yukon community reeled, seeing the action as a major oversight in protecting the community and the environment.
“The legacy of issues at MAX Environmental are a forever stain on the Yukon area.”
Stacey Magda, managing community organizer at MWA
“The legacy of issues at MAX Environmental are a forever stain on the Yukon area,” says Stacey Magda, managing community organizer at Mountain Watershed Association. “When EPA conducted their past due investigation, they noted 50 pages of ongoing issues at the facility. This should have been an opportunity for our regulators to get it right for the first time in the history of this facility, by permanently shutting the site down.”
“Max’s permits show they estimate less than a year left before it reaches capacity. This community has had to deal with the impacts for over 30 years and for many, this feels like too little too late,” says Stacey Magda, managing community organizer at Mountain Watershed Association.
MAX Environmental was established over five decades ago, then owned as Mill Service. The landfill in Yukon opened in 1963.
April 30 Press Conference
A press conference with the impacted community will be held on Tuesday, April 30 at 2:00 p.m. near 335 Spring Street, Yukon, PA.
Industrial gas plants, compressor stations, well pads, pipelines and O&G waste trucking have taken over Washington County, Pennsylvania.
By David E. Hess | PA Environment Digest Blog May 3, 2024 | Full story
The following DEP notices were published in the May 4 PA Bulletin related to oil and gas industry facilities. Many of the notices offer the opportunity for public comments.
Land Recycling/Brownfield Cleanups
— Range Resources-Appalachia, LLC – Cornwall Mountain Shale Gas Well Pad: DEP approved a Final Report on remediation of soil contaminated with wastewater to meet the Statewide Health Standard for the pad located in Lewis Twp., Lycoming County. (PA Bulletin, page 2415)
— Chesapeake Appalachia, LLC – Kingsley Unit Shale Gas Well Pad B: DEP approved a Final Report on remediation of soil contaminated with compressor oil to meet the Statewide Health Standards for the pad located in Monroe Twp., Bradford County. (PA Bulletin, page 2415)
— Chesapeake Appalachia, LLC – Indian Foot Shale Gas Well Pad Lease Road: DEP disapproved a Final Report on remediation of soil contaminated with wastewater to meet the Statewide Health Standards for the pad located in Monroe Twp., Bradford County. (PA Bulletin, page 2415)
2024 Land Recycling/Brownfield Cleanups
So far in 2024, DEP received or acted on 114 Act 2 Land Recycling notices related to oil and gas facility site cleanups.
Air Quality Permits
— Philadelphia Gas Works – Richmond LNG Gas Plant: Philadelphia Air Management Services invites comments on the renewal of the Title V Air Quality Permit for the natural gas liquefaction facility located at 3100 East Venango Street in Philadelphia. (PA Bulletin, page 2392)
— Texas Eastern Transmission LP – Marietta Compressor Station: DEP invites comments on the renewal of a Title V Air Quality Permit for the facility located in East Donegal Twp., Lancaster County. (PA Bulletin, page 2392)
— Chesapeake Appalachia, LLC – Shale Gas Well Pad Sources: DEP approved an Air Quality Plan Approval for gas flares, pipeline pigging operations and other sources of air pollution for the pad located in Tuscarora Twp., Bradford County. (PA Bulletin, page 2417)
— MFG Midstream Clearmont, LLC – Rich Valley Compressor Station: DEP approved an Air Quality Plan Approval for multiple air pollution sources at the facility located in Shippen Twp., Cameron County. (PA Bulletin, page 2417)
— EQM Gathering OPCO, LLC -Snapping Turtle Compressor Station: DEP approved an Air Quality Plan Approval for flares, compressor engines and other sources of air pollution at the facility located in Richhill Twp., Greene County. (PA Bulletin, page 2418)
— Energy Transfer Marketing & Terminals, LP – Marcus Hook Terminal: DEP approved an Air Quality Plan Approval to expand the ethane chilling capacity at the facility located in Marcus Hook Borough, Delaware County. (PA Bulletin, page 2418)
— Columbia Gas Transmission – Donegal Compressor Station: DEP issued an Air Quality Plan Approval for a flare, pipeline fluids storage tank and other sources of air pollution at the facility located in Donegal Twp., Washington County. (PA Bulletin, page 2418)
— Eastern Gas Transmission & Storage, Inc. – Centre Compressor Station: DEP issued a renewal of a State Only Air Quality Permit for the facility located in Spring Twp., Centre County. (PA Bulletin, page 2419)
— Sunoco Midstream, LLC – Petroleum Products Distribution Terming: DEP issued a State Only Air Quality Permit covering multiple sources of air pollution at the facility located in Hampden Twp., Cumberland County. (PA Bulletin, page 2419)
— Diversified Prod LLC – NV-58 Well Pad: DEP authorized “de minimis” air emissions increase for compressor equipment, storage tanks and other sources of air pollution at the facility located in Morris Twp., Washington County. (PA Bulletin, page 2420)
NPDES Water Quality Permits
— Buckeye Pipeline Company LP – Macungie Station: DEP invites comments on the renewal of any NPDES Water Quality permit impacting Swabia Creek (High Quality) located in Lower Macungie Twp., Lehigh County. (PA Bulletin, page 2362)
Erosion & Sedimentation Permits
— Appalachia Midstream Services, LLC: DEP approved a Chapter 102 permit for a project impacting Lick Creek (Exceptional Value) located in Cherry Twp., Sullivan County. (PA Bulletin, page 2422)
— Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC – Enlow Fork Coal Mine/Pipeline Mitigation Project: DEP approved a Chapter 102 permit for a project to mitigate longwall coal mining damage to a gas pipeline from Enlow Fork mining located in Morris Twp., Washington County. (PA Bulletin, page 2425)
— Equitrans LP: DEP approved a Chapter 102 permit for a project impacting Bates Fork (High Quality), Browns Creek (High Quality), Lightner Run (High Quality), Rush Run (High Quality) and South Fork Tenmile Creek located in Centre Twp., Greene County. (PA Bulletin, page 2423)
–Markwest Liberty Midstream & Resources LLC – Littell Bend Pipeline: DEP approved a Chapter 102 permit for a pipeline project impacting Little Traverse Creek located in Hanover Twp., Beaver County. (PA Bulletin, page 2423)
— PennEnergy Resources, LLC – PER B7 Well Pad: DEP approved a Chapter 102 permit for a project impacting Brush Creek located in New Sewickley Twp., Beaver County. (PA Bulletin, page 2423)
— Pine Run Midstream, LLC: DEP approved a Chapter 102 permit for a project impacting Marrowbone Run (High Quality) and Sipes Run (High Quality) located in North Buffalo Twp., Armstrong County. (PA Bulletin, page 2423)
— Repsol Oil & Gas USA, LLC: DEP approved a Chapter 102 permit for a project impacting a tributary to the Tioga River (High Quality) and Gaffers Creek located in Sullivan Twp., Tioga County. (PA Bulletin, page 2422)
— Repsol Oil & Gas USA, LLC: DEP approved a Chapter 102 permit for a project impacting a tributary to the Tioga River (High Quality) located in Sullivan Twp., Tioga County. (PA Bulletin, page 2422)
— Snyder Bros, Inc.: DEP approved a Chapter 102 permit for a project impacting Long Run (High Quality), Patterson Creek (High Quality) and Glade Run located in Sugarcreek Twp., Armstrong County. (PA Bulletin, page 2423)
— Snyder Bros, Inc.: DEP approved a Chapter 102 permit for a project impacting Bullick Run (High Quality), North Fork Pine Creek (High Quality) and South Fork Pine Creek (High Quality) located in Boggs Twp., Armstrong County. (PA Bulletin, page 2423)
Oil & Gas Well Drilling Permits [4.26.24]*
— Last Week – Permits: DEP issued 1 conventional and 17 unconventional
— Year To Date – Permits: DEP issued 63 conventional and 163 unconventional
— Year To Date – Wells Drilled: 40 conventional and 112 unconventional
Would Allow Pipelines Like Mariner East to Apply for Waivers of Any PUC Regulation, Law or Policy
Penn’s Woods has been ‘sliced & diced’ by pipeline cuts
By David E. Hess | PA Environment Digest Blog May 3, 2024 | Full story
On April 30, Senate Bill 1174 (Stefano-R-Fayette) was reported out of the Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee with unanimous Republican support that would allow any “public utility” to petition the Public Utility Commission to waive any law, regulation or policy under the Commission’s jurisdiction, if it benefits ratepayers.
While the intended purpose of the legislation is to help customers of electric, gas and telephone utilities by providing an opportunity for public utilities to reduce costs, it may have other impacts.
Pipelines like Energy Transfer/Sunoco’s troubled Mariner East Pipelines that carry hazardous liquids or natural gas have been designated as “public utilities” by the Public Utility Commission.
As a result, Energy Transfer/Sunoco or any other natural gas or hazardous liquid pipeline owner that is classified as a “public utility” would fall under the provisions of Senate Bill 1174 allowing waivers because it is written so broadly.
The PUC just adopted new regulations in February to strengthen state public utility safety standards related to hazardous liquid pipelines like Mariner East which could be undone by this waiver legislation. Read more here.
The PUC also regulates drinking water and wastewater systems as public utilities and under the language in the bill could also request waivers from the Commission.
While the bill includes a provision for evaluating waiver requests in terms of how “safety and reliability standards will be maintained or exceeded” if the petition is granted, there are no provisions excluding pipelines from the waiver process or specifically ensuring applicable environmental protection standards would still be met.
Could be worth clarifying the intent of the bill with respect to gas and hazardous liquid pipelines.
The bill was referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee which will consider the bill before it is brought back to the Senate Floor for final action, possibly as early as May 6.
Similar To Senate Bill 832
Senate Republicans last week passed similar legislation with an even broader waiver provision– Senate Bill 832 (Yaw-R-Lycoming)– that would allow an applicant for any large-scale energy project to request a waiver of any regulation needed for the project. Read more here.
The bill would also bypass permit reviews for these projects by qualified state agencies allowing state “licensed professionals” to do the reviews.
Licensed professionals named in the bill include land surveyors, landscape architects, geologists, a professional engineer as well as “other licensed professional” (an undefined term).
Presumably the authors of this legislation did not mean that barbers or any of the 28 state “licensed professionals” could be the reviewers of permits covering air pollution, hazardous waste or stream channel crossings. Read more here.
In addition, states do not have the authority to waive federal environmental health and safety standards. Read more here.
The North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center’s “Q1 2024 edition of The 50 States of Grid Modernization” finds that 49 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, took actions related to grid modernization during Q1 2024, with the greatest number of actions relating to energy storage deployment (52), overall utility business model reforms (49), performance-based regulation (26), interconnection rules (24), distribution system planning (23), and time-varying rates (23). A total of 567 grid modernization actions were taken during Q1 2024. New York, Massachusetts, Michigan, California, Connecticut, and New Jersey took the greatest number of actions during the quarter, followed by Hawaii, Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri, Maine, New Hampshire, and Ohio.
Business Council for Sustainable Energy, May 2, 2024
The “2024 Minnesota Energy Factsheet” released by Clean Energy Economy Minnesota and the Business Council for Sustainable Energy shows that zero-carbon power generated 54% of the state’s electricity in 2023. This is the fourth consecutive year that zero-carbon power has made up the majority of Minnesota’s electricity, compared to the national share of carbon-free power at just 41%. Renewable sources contributed to one-third of the state’s electricity generation in 2023. Over the past five years, Minnesota added 2.2-GW of renewable energy capacity while reducing coal dependency by 1.2-GW. The state has enhanced its energy productivity by 33% since 2001 while electric vehicle registrations have surged, with a 55% increase from 2022.
The world’s leading utility-scale solar constructors have installed over 20-GWac of new capacity since the beginning of 2023. This takes the cumulative installations of the top 34 EPC contractors above 100 GWac. Inevitably most companies on the list are from the five top countries China, U.S., India, Spain and Germany. Indian and Chinese contractors have taken four of the top six rankings for new capacity thanks to a number of new gigawatt-scale projects in China, India and the Middle East.
University of Michigan researchers have found that the value of rooftop solar will increase by between 5% and 15% by the mid-century across a range of U.S. cities under moderate climate change, and by up to 20% by the end of the century. They analyzed data from 2,000 households across 17 U.S. cities, estimating air-conditioning demand and solar panel performance under future climates. Across the 17 cities, Miami and Orlando are expected to see the strongest increase in solar value. Further, as the value of rooftop PV increases, the economically optimal capacity for households will rise. The researchers predicted a capacity increase of 5% to 25% by the end of the century under a moderate climate scenario.
A new study by Wind Harvest has found that mid-level wind (turbulent wind that blows between 5 and 30 meters) has been dramatically underestimated as an energy source in California’s goal to reach “net-zero” carbon emissions by 2045. This report details both why mid-level wind has been underestimated and what its impact really looks like statewide. The report estimates, if utilized to its fullest potential, mid-level wind in California’s five Wind Resource Areas could provide enough energy to achieve 33% of California’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality.
U.S. Energy Information Administration, April 30, 2024
In 2023, U.S. electricity generation from wind turbines decreased for the first time since the mid-1990s despite the addition of 6.2-GW of new wind capacity last year. U.S. wind generation in 2023 totaled 425,235-GWh, 2.1% less than the 434,297-GWh generated in 2022. U.S. wind capacity increased steadily over the last several years, more than tripling from 47.0-GW in 2010 to 147.5-GW at the end of 2023. Electricity generation from wind turbines also grew steadily, at a similar rate to capacity, until 2023. Last year, the average utilization rate, or capacity factor, of the wind turbine fleet fell to an eight-year low of 33.5% (compared with 35.9% in 2022, the all-time high). Slower wind speeds than normal affected wind generation in 2023, especially during the first half of the year when wind generation dropped by 14% compared with the same period in 2022. Wind speeds increased later in 2023, and wind generation from August through December was 2.4% higher than during the same period in 2022.
The latest briefing from the Energy Transitions Commission (ETC), “Overcoming Turbulence in the Offshore Wind Sector,” argues that governments and the industry need to join forces in order to both restore confidence in the market and drive down costs. Last year, inflation, supply chain bottlenecks and higher interest rates led to rising project costs in some markets. In areas where a perceived offshore wind “crisis” ensued, projects and contracts were canceled. However, ETC believes these increases are mostly expected to be short-term and recommends governments set ambitious targets and predefined auction schedules and address specific supply chain bottlenecks.
Geothermal energy is experiencing a surge of investment and policy support across the U.S. Startups within the fast-growing industry are developing next-generation solutions to produce “clean, firm” electricity in geographic locations that conventional geothermal technologies can’t access. Other companies like Bedrock are innovating on a relatively smaller scale to make it easier and more affordable to decarbonize homes and buildings. In buildings, geothermal systems – also called ground-source heat pumps, or geothermal heat exchangers – use the shallow earth to exchange heat and cold from aboveground. Compared with air-source heat pumps, geothermal systems can reduce energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by up to 44 percent.
U.S. Energy Information Administration, April 30, 2024
According to data released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, total U.S. biofuels production capacity was at 23.721 billion gallons per year in February, down 39 MMgy when compared to the previous month, but up 1.003 billion gallons per year when compared to February 2023. Fuel ethanol capacity reached 17.88 billion gallons per year in February, up 50 MMgy when compared to the previous month and up 485 MMgy when compared to February 2023. Capacity for renewable diesel and associated fuels, including renewable heating oil, renewable jet fuel, renewable naphtha, renewable gasoline and other biofuels and biointermediates, was at 3.857 billion gallons per year in February, a level of capacity that has held steady since October 2023. When compared to February 2023, renewable diesel capacity was up 597 MMgy.
According to data recently released by the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, the U.S. exported 938,662.3 metric tons of wood pellets to approximately 18 countries in March, up from 696,692.9 metric tons in February and 909,787.1 metric tons in March of last year. The value of U.S. wood pellet exports reached $174.33 million in March, up from $135.66 million the previous month and $169.43 million in March 2023. Total wood pellet exports for the first quarter of 2024 reached 2.38 million metric tons at a value of $450.03 million, compared to 2.18 million metric tons exported during the same period of 2023 at a value of $402.08 million.
PV-Magazine, by John Fitzgerald Weaver, April 30, 2024
California is once again setting springtime output records from solar, while energy storage takes over the peak electricity demand period becoming the maximum output source. The state has installed 154,155 total energy storage systems as of April 15th. Of those, just over 98% are residential systems totaling 1.076-GW of output capacity. An additional 2,777 are commercial systems. The residential and commercial systems combined totaling 1.647-GW. For the residential and commercial systems, 4.951 GWh of storage may be available behind these units. Of the remaining, 175 are directly grid connected utility scale facilities providing 8.736-GW of out capacity or 34.944 GWh of storage. An additional 8 GW of energy storage is expected to be deployed in the next year.
Energy Storage News, by Cameron Murray, May 1, 2024
In a new G7 Ministerial Communique for Climate, Energy, and Environment, the G7 nations have agreed upon a new global energy storage target of 1500-GW by 2030, a six-fold increase from today’s levels. That figure covers all energy storage technologies including battery energy storage systems and pumped hydro energy storage as well as hydrogen and water-based technologies. The 1500-GW target is double what BloombergNEF has forecast is scheduled to be online based on current deployment pipelines.
According to a new report from global energy storage company Pacific Green, despite a limited number of BESS project financing deals to date, the market is reaching a turning point, as projects increase in scale and lenders work with storage developers to overcome barriers to capital deployment. Lender concerns are now easing, as early projects establish a track record of successful operation, the market better understands long-term revenue opportunities, and assets scale up from 50-100 MW to reach capacities of 250-500 MW. Key obstacles standing in the way of widespread BESS project financing earlier have included the small scale of projects, complexity of revenue generation models, and limited technological track record compared to established generation technologies such as wind and solar.
A new report from the Energy Efficiency Movement has revealed that 99 percent of businesses are already investing in, or are planning to invest in, making their energy usage more efficient. Notably, the number of businesses actively investing in energy efficiency has increased by 7 percent from two years ago. The report, based on responses from 1,282 business leaders across 13 countries, found that of the businesses investing, or planning to, 41 percent cite the next 12 months as the timeframe for making these improvements. Moving data to the cloud (71 percent) is the most common energy efficiency measure currently invested in by businesses, followed by performing energy efficiency audits (69 percent), and improving energy efficiency of cooling systems (64 percent).
The U.S. Department of Energy has finalized new energy efficiency standards for several types of residential water heaters, in a rule it expects will generate more energy savings than any other appliance rule the agency has issued. The new rule, which goes into effect in 2029, will generate more than 17.6 quadrillion British thermal units of energy savings over 30 years and will save consumers about $7.6 billion annually on energy and water bills. Residential water heater efficiency standards were last updated in 2010.
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, April 30, 2024
ACEEE’s new “2024 City Clean Energy Scorecard” ranks 75 of the largest U.S. cities on energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. San Francisco topped the Scorecard for the second time. Denver (#2) moved up five spots after adopting energy efficiency requirements for existing buildings and providing support for affordable housing to meet the standards. Seattle (#3) provides no-cost heat pumps to income-qualified households and offers free transit passes for public housing residents. Rounding out the top ten are Los Angeles (#4), Oakland (#5), Minneapolis (#6), New York City (#7), Portland (#8), San José (#9) and Washington, DC (#10). While large U.S. cities are increasingly working to center racial and social equity in their climate and clean energy priorities, there’s a significant gap in translating ambitions for equitable outcomes into specific policies and programs.
Green Car Reports, by Stephen Edelstein, May 1, 2024
According to a new quarterly report from the California New Car Dealers Association, the absolute number of EVs sold in California grew from 89,741 in the fourth quarter of 2023 to 90,296 in the first quarter of 2024. However, the EV market share still decreased from 21.5% at the end of 2023 to 20.9% in Q1 2024. That’s because new-car registrations grew overall, with even more non-electric vehicles being sold. The rise of EV sales by volume rather than share is a trend that continues from the previous quarter.
According to new estimates from the International Energy Agency, EVs are breaking sales records across the globe. This year, around 17 million new fully electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) will be sold worldwide, a new record. That’s up from 13.7 million sold last year. More than one-fifth of the vehicles sold worldwide will be an EV or a PHEV this year. In 2018, just about 2 percent of cars sold fit into this category. In the U.S., the third-biggest EV market – behind China and Europe, sales are expected to rise by about 20 percent this year, to 1.7 million units.
Notwithstanding the hype about EV sales drooping, or at least not living up to expectations, the EV market is still looking very good. Compared to Q1 2023, EV sales are up only a little bit in the first quarter of 2024 – just 2%. However, if you look back two years, EV sales are up 71%, and if you look back three years to Q1 2021, EV sales are up 170%. Moreover, compared to Q1 2021, non-Tesla EV sales were up 343%. Compared to Q1 2022, non-Tesla EV sales were up 211%. Compared to Q1 2023, non-Tesla EV sales were up 24%.
The Biden administration’s new rule on power plants’ planet-warming emissions will require coal plants and new gas plants to install carbon-capture technology to mitigate 90 percent of their emissions – or find another way to achieve the equivalent climate protections. It is expected to accelerate a shift away from coal, and potentially speed the U.S.’s adoption of renewable energy sources. An analysis by the Environmental Protection Agency’s shows that the rule could increase the amount of coal power that comes offline between 2028 and 2035 by nearly 25 percent. Without the rule, 84 gigawatts of coal power would have retired during that period. But under the rule, that number is expected to jump to 104 gigawatts of power.
U.S. Energy Information Administration, April 29, 2024
According to a new EIA analysis, U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions decreased by 3%, about 134 million metric tons (MMmt), in 2023. Over 80% of the emissions reductions occurred in the electric power sector, caused largely by decreased coal-fired electricity generation, which was displaced by increased generation from solar and natural gas. Electric power sector emissions decreased to about 1,425 MMmt in 2023, about 7% less than in 2022. Emissions also decreased in the residential and commercial sectors by a combined 6% in 2023, to about 561 MMmt, due to milder weather leading to less energy demand for space heating and cooling in buildings. Emissions from the industrial and transportation sectors remained relatively unchanged, with differences of less than 1% from 2022.
In a recent communique by their energy ministers, the G-7 countries (the U.S., U.K., Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan) said they will phase out “unabated coal power” from their power sector – unless those coal plants capture their planet-warming emissions – “during the first half of 2030s”. However, it also offers an alternative, saying that nations could phase out coal’s use during that period or in a more ambiguous “timeline consistent with keeping a limit of 1.5°C temperature rise within reach.”
Wood Mackenzie recently analyzed impact of delayed energy transition, amid political uncertainties, inflation and elections. While solar and wind dominate power markets in the longer term, near-term additions are slowed due to transmission bottlenecks. In terms of total investment, a delayed transition could cost up to $48 trillion, a “significant decrease” from Wood Mackenzie’s net zero scenario, which estimates a total of $75 trillion. It concluded that a five-year delay to the energy transition could see the global average temperature rise to 3°C above pre-industrial levels.
US House Passes Bill to Locate Abandoned/Orphaned Conventional Oil & Gas Wells, Improve Well Plugging Technology
One has to wonder how many of these old oil wells in the City of Washington, Pennsylvania were ever properly plugged.
by Adam Peltz, Director & Senior Attorney, Environmental Defense Fund | April 30, 2024
On April 30, the US the House of Representatives passed the Abandoned Well Remediation Research and Development Act by a vote of 333 to 75. The bipartisan bill now moves to the US Senate, where it is expected to also receive bipartisan support.
“Orphaned oil and gas wells threaten public health and safety, the water we drink and the climate,” said Environmental Defense Fund director and senior attorney for energy transition Adam Peltz. “This essential bipartisan bill will fund the research necessary to improve well plugging practices, find unregistered orphan wells in hard-to-reach places like streams, forests, farmland and backyards, and develop beneficial clean energy uses for end-of-life wells. This bill will create jobs and benefit public health, particularly for communities overburdened by legacy oil and gas development – and now the Senate should take up this bill so that President Biden can sign it into law.”
This important bipartisan legislation would invest more than $150 million over the next five years to help find an estimated 800,000 undocumented orphan wells, reuse those we can for beneficial purposes and ultimately close the rest more effectively and affordably.
AWRRDA provides funding to research how to improve well plugging, locate undocumented orphan wells and study potential uses for both orphan and end-of-life wells.
While responsible well operators promptly plug their oil and gas wells when they run dry, many orphan wells have been improperly abandoned for decades or more.
Hard-to-reach locations coupled with unknown well architecture, crumbling steel casings and unexpected objects downhole like telephone poles, rolled up carpets and even cannon balls make orphan well plugging especially challenging.
Newer Marcellus shale wells have problems too, while ridiculously-low well bonding rates persist in Pennsylvania, setting the stage for a large number of future problems. (More)
U.S. House passes Summer Lee bill to address abandoned oil and gas wells
The wells leak methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere
Rep. Summer Lee
By Jonathan D. Salant | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette April 30, 2024 | Full story
The vote was 333-75, with only Republicans in opposition. All five Western Pennsylvania representatives voted yes. There is no Senate bill.
The legislation also calls for research into new and perhaps more cost-efficient ways of plugging the wells and stopping the leaks of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Methane accounts for 12% of all greenhouse gas emissions in Pennsylvania and is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere over a 20-year period.
“We cannot leave leaky oil and gas wells from the 1800s to continue poisoning and endangering our communities.”
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, the bill’s chief sponsor
The bill’s passage comes at a time when the White House has worked to reduce methane emissions as it seeks to address the greenhouse gases contributing to climate change.
President Joe Biden has set up a methane task force to work with state and local officials to detect leaks and reduce emissions, and his bipartisan infrastructure law included $4.7 billion to address the problem.
SUN DAY CAMPAIGN (founded 1992) Ken Bossong, Executive Director
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Solar Was the Fastest Growing Source of Electricity in the U.S. in January-February
The latest issue of EIA’s “Electric Power Monthly” report (with data through February 29, 2024) reveals that in the first two months of 2024, electrical generation by solar (including small-scale distributed systems) grew by 25.8%, compared to the same period in 2023 – faster than any other energy source. Estimated small-scale solar PV accounted for 31.6% of total solar output.
The mix of utility-scale and small-scale solar PV plus utility-scale solar thermal provided 4.40% of the nation’s electrical output in the two-month period compared to the same time frame in 2023 when solar’s share was 3.75%.
For perspective, solar’s year-to-date share first reached 1.0% in March 2016. Since then, solar’s monthly generation has increased (in comparison to the corresponding prior months) every year.
Electrical Generation by Wind, Hydro, Biomass, and Geothermal All Fell
Compared to the same two-month period in 2023, electrical generation by all non-solar renewables fell in January-February 2024.
Geothermal was 7.8% lower. The mix of wood, wood-derived fuels, and other biomass fell by 6.1%. Wind was down by 5.9%. Hydropower dipped by 0.3%.
However, increased solar generation offset the diminished output of the other renewable energy sources so total renewable energy production was actually 0.6% higher in January-February 2024 than it was in the same two-month period a year.
On the other hand, total electrical generation by all sources, including fossil fuels and nuclear power, was 7.2% higher than last year. As a consequence, renewables’ share fell from 23.31% in the first two months of 2023 to 21.87% in the first two months of 2024.
Renewables May Be Rebounding
Notwithstanding the decreased output by the non-solar renewables in the first two months of this year, EIA’s data for just February 2024 suggests that they may be rebounding a bit.
Electrical output by hydropower was actually 4.9% higher in February 2024 than in February 2023.
Generation by wind, biomass, and geothermal in February alone was still lower than the prior year but by smaller margins than for the two-month January-February period. Biomass was down by 4.9%, geothermal by 2.5%, and wind by 1.3%.
Moreover, solar output – including small-scale systems – in just February was 30.4% higher than a year earlier.
As a consequence, in February 2024, electrical generation by the mix of all renewables was actually 5.4% higher than a year ago. Moreover, renewables’ share of total electrical generation in February 2024 rebounded to 25.8% compared to 25.4% in February 2023.
In February, Renewables Held Their Own Against Coal and Nuclear Power
In February 2024, electrical generation by the mix of all renewables surpassed nuclear power by 30.1%.
Similarly, in February 2024, the mix of all renewables generated 90.1% more electricity than did coal. In fact, the combination of just wind and solar out-produced coal by 34.9%.
EIA’s latest “Electric Power Monthly” report was released on April 24, 2024. For the data cited here, see Table ES1.A “Total Electric Power Industry Summary Statistics 2024 and 2023” and Table ES1.B. “Total Electric Power Industry Summary Statistics, Year-to-Date 2024 and 2023” are here and here.
Ohio AG Wants PA Company Held in Contempt for Failing to Clean-up Radioactive Drilling Waste
By Glynis Board | The Allegheny Front May 3, 2024 | Full story
In April, the Ohio Attorney General was granted a temporary restraining order against AMS, an oil and gas waste-processing facility operating in Martins Ferry, Ohio — about an hour’s drive southwest of Pittsburgh. The Belmont County Court issued the order against AMS for “egregious violations.”
In a legal complaint issued in March, Yost’s office said the amount of waste the Martins Ferry facility accepted was allowed to “far exceed its permitted storage capacity.” The request for a restraining order said AMS “allowed radioactive liquids and sludge to flow uncontained on the floor of its facility.”
Martins Ferry was flooded by the Ohio River twice in the spring of 2024. The river crested at 42 feet; Martins Ferry officials reported it would take 45 feet for water to infiltrate the facility. Photo courtesy of Concerned Ohio River Residents
The primary concern identified in the complaint is the facility’s location: It’s about 500 feet from the Ohio River and 1,000 feet from a municipal drinking water well field.
Oil and gas waste streams can contain mixtures of heavy metals, salts or brines, volatile organic compounds, and carcinogens including radioactive material. Research has linked exposure to some of these substances to reproductive and developmental problems. Full story
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