February 27, 2015 On February 18, an explosion and fire occurred at ExxonMobil's refinery in Torrance, California. The Torrance refinery, the third-largest refinery in Southern California, has about 20% of the region's fluid catalytic cracking capacity and is an important source of gasoline and distillate fuel oil supply for Southern California. Unplanned refinery outages can have noticeable effects on liquid fuel markets , disrupting supplies of gasoline and distillate, particularly in regions that are tightly balanced, such as the West Coast (defined as Petroleum Administration for Defense District (PADD) 5). When refineries undergo planned maintenance, they make arrangements for alternative sources of supply to ensure that obligations are met. Upcoming planned outages are examined in EIA's Refinery Outages report , released February 26. However, the sudden loss of production during unplanned outages can sometimes take days or weeks for markets to adjust. As a result, unplanned outages often result in a...

The estimated one-third of food left uneaten is a serious threat to the global environment and economy. Original link Original author: THE

The Energy Department and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) today recognized the Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association (Tri-State) and San Isabel Electric Association (San Isabel) of Colorado as the 2014 WINDExchange Wind Cooperatives of the Year. The awards were presented at the NRECA TechAdvantage Conference and Expo in Orlando, Florida, to honor electric cooperatives that demonstrate outstanding leadership in advancing U.S. wind power. The two power providers were selected by a panel of judges from industry, government, and national laboratories and were evaluated for their corporate leadership, project innovation, and benefits to customers. Since 1998, Tri-State has integrated wind energy into the electricity it supplies to its 44 member distribution cooperatives, serving more than 1.5 million consumers across 200,000 square miles in four states. With over 140 megawatts (MW) of wind capacity online, and more under construction, Tri-State is using long-term purchases of new wind energy production to provide...

EERE offers webinars to the public on a range of subjects, from adopting the latest energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, to training for the clean energy workforce. Webinars are free; however, advanced registration is typically required. You can also watch archived webinars and browse previously aired videos, slides, and transcripts. Upcoming Webinars March 3-5: Live Webinars on the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's FY2016 Budget Request Webinar Sponsor: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy The Energy Department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy will present a series of live webinars on our Fiscal Year 2016 budget request from Tuesday, March 3 through Thursday, March 5. The webinars will feature our deputy assistant secretaries and technology office directors providing in-depth presentations of the budget proposal by sector, including specific technology office requests, and an opportunity for participants to ask questions.  Topics and registration details are below: Tuesday,...

February 26, 2015 With natural gas storage at low levels in most of 2014 and production relatively high, minimal new natural gas storage capacity was built, except for salt facilities in the Producing region. Capacity in the East region of the United States fell slightly, resulting in relatively unchanged national total capacity. EIA measures natural gas storage capacity in November of each year , which is typically when storage withdrawals begin to exceed storage injections. From November 2013 to November 2014, EIA found that each of EIA's two measures of storage capacity within the Lower 48 states was virtually unchanged, as increases in salt facilities largely offset declines in other types of storage capacity. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) uses two distinct measures of natural gas storage capacity: Demonstrated maximum working gas volume is the sum of peak volumes reported by the 395 active storage facilities in the Lower 48...

The European Commission vowed to accelerate efforts to knit together diverse national energy systems amid deepening tensions with Russia. Original link Original author: JAMES

A report released Wednesday shows that about 60 million metric tons of food is wasted a year in the United States, a problem that contributes to climate change and to the loss of natural resources like water and land. Original link Original author: RON

Energy Department to Help Tribes Advance Clean Energy Projects and Increase Resiliency WASHINGTON – As part of the Obama Administration’s efforts to help tribal communities nationwide enhance their energy security and build a sustainable energy future, the U.S. Department of Energy today announced the third round of Strategic Technical Assistance Response Team (START) Renewable Energy Project Development Assistance, which provides federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal entities with on-the-ground support to accelerate clean energy project deployment. Through the START Program, the Energy Department Office of Indian Energy and Energy Department National Laboratory experts provide technical assistance for tribal clean energy development by supporting community- and commercial-scale renewable energy projects across the country. Since its launch in December 2011, the START Program has helped 21 tribal communities advance their clean energy technology and infrastructure projects — from solar and wind to biofuels and energy efficiency. "Today’s announcement signals the Department’s ongoing...

Former Mayor Bloomberg presses Obama to bypass Keystone gridlock by seeking climate progress in Canada. Original link Original author: ANDREW

February 25, 2015 Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Forms EIA-860 and EIA-923 Note: Data include facilities with a net summer capacity of 1 MW and above only. Wind plant generation performance varies throughout the year as a result of highly seasonal wind patterns. Nationally, wind plant performance tends to be highest during the spring and lowest during the mid- to late summer, while performance during the winter (November through February) is around the annual median. However, this pattern can vary considerably across regions, mostly based on local atmospheric and geographic conditions. Unlike conventional fossil-fueled generators, there is no fuel or other variable cost associated with wind power generation. As a result, a wind plant's capacity factor —a measure of the plant's generation as a percentage of its maximum generating capacity—is very closely related to the available wind resource, or average wind speed. In general, wind plant capacity factors tend...