A shared passion for a low-carbon energy future eventually led to a personal relationship, a blizzard of inquiries, and finally a governor’s resignation. Original link Original author: KIRK

While Beijing’s air quality has generated more headlines worldwide, scientists say New Delhi’s air is often significantly worse, but only now are residents turning to surgical masks and air purifiers. Original link Original author: GARDINER

Three Military Bases Partner with Energy Department to Train Veterans for Solar Jobs WASHINGTON -- Today, the first class of Marine trainees at Camp Pendleton will graduate from the Energy Department’s solar job training pilot program, which is aimed at preparing service members for careers in the solar industry as solar photovoltaic system installers, sales representatives, system inspectors, and other solar-related opportunities. Camp Pendleton is one of three military bases partnering with the Department’s SunShot Initiative to train 200 transitioning military service members during the pilot period for employment opportunities in the rapidly growing U.S. solar energy industry. Training courses will also begin at Fort Carson and Naval Station Norfolk this spring. “As more homes and businesses across America choose solar power for their electricity needs, the solar industry is growing rapidly, and demand for highly skilled solar workers is on the rise,” said Minh Le, director, SunShot Initiative. “This new...

February 13, 2015 Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration calculations with data from DrillingInfo, Canadian National Energy Board, Cedigaz, Fact Global Energy China Monthly, Chevron, and Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales Note: Actual production from Canada through October 2014. November and December 2014 totals estimated. Canadian shale gas production total includes the Montney formation. Republished February 13, 2015, 10:30 a.m. to clarify China and Argentina's production of shale gas and tight oil, respectively. The United States, Canada, China, and Argentina are currently the only four countries in the world that are producing commercial volumes of either natural gas from shale formations (shale gas) or crude oil from tight formations (tight oil). The United States is by far the dominant producer of both shale gas and tight oil. Canada is the only other country to produce both shale gas and tight oil. China produces some small volumes of shale gas, while Argentina produces...

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 February 17: Live Webinar on Material Handling Fuel Cells for Building Electric Peak Shaving Applications Webinar Sponsor: Fuel Cell Technologies Office The Energy Department will present a live webinar titled “Material Handling Fuel Cells for Building Electric Peak Shaving Applications” on Tuesday, February 17, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. This webinar will explore the synergy between a facility’s use of hydrogen fuel cell forklifts and its reduction of electric grid time of use energy charges. Electric fuel cell forklifts use electricity generated from hydrogen fuel. As such, they allow a versatile application of the...

February 12, 2015 Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, based on Bloomberg, International Monetary Fund Saudi Arabia is the largest exporter of crude oil and other petroleum liquids in the world, and their oil exports accounted for 89% of the country's total revenue in 2014. The recent decline in global oil prices is decreasing the value of these exports, leading to a potential budget shortfall. In its 2015 budget, Saudi Arabia plans to spend about $230 billion but expects to take in $190.7 billion in revenue, resulting in an overall deficit of $38.6 billion. While the oil price assumption was not specified in Saudi Arabia's budget, the budget was crafted in December 2014, when crude oil prices were between $55 and $70 dollars per barrel. In addition to having the second-largest proved oil reserves —268 billion barrels, or 16%, of the world total in 2014, behind only Venezuela's 298 billion...

The Energy Department today announced $2.5 million in available funding for the Cleantech University Prize (Cleantech UP), which aims to inspire the next generation of clean energy entrepreneurs. This funding opportunity will support the commercialization of promising technologies for sectors such as solar and wind that reduce carbon pollution and grow the clean energy economy. The Cleantech UP will create a strong national infrastructure focused on collegiate high-tech entrepreneurship that accelerates the rate of clean energy innovation in the United States, establishing a national Cleantech UP Hub and supporting up to eight Cleantech UP Collegiate Competitions. The Cleantech UP Hub will create a national prize, train student entrepreneurs, and serve as a coordinating body for energy entrepreneurship training, while the Cleantech UP Collegiate Competitions will provide prizes for eight individual university-focused competitions that will equip students with business skills to move clean energy technologies from the discovery phase to the marketplace....

Love is in the air, and whether you are celebrating Valentine's Day with your significant other, family, or friends, you can also show some love to your home! While my Valentine's Day will most likely be spent cuddling on the couch with my dog, I also plan to make some energy efficient updates that will keep me comfortable as I lounge around the house. First on my list is investing in some energy efficient window treatments. Dressing Up the Windows Window treatments do more than make your windows look good; they can also greatly increase the comfort of your home by reducing winter heat loss. My first step to making my windows more energy efficient and beautiful will be to add some drapes. Right now I have zero draperies in my town home. This means that I wake up whenever the sunlight starts streaming through the blinds—even if my alarm hasn't...

February 10, 2015 Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Crude Import Tracking Tool Note: Heavy crude has an API gravity = 35. Medium crude has an API gravity between 27 and 35. Sweet crude has 0.5% sulfur content or less. Sour crude has more than 0.5% sulfur content. The increase in U.S. shale and tight crude oil production has resulted in a decrease of crude oil imports to the U.S. Gulf Coast area, particularly for light-sweet and light-sour crude oils. These trends are visualized in EIA's crude import tracking tool , which allows for time-series analysis of crude oil imported to the United States. Historically, Gulf Coast refineries have imported as much as 1.3 million barrels per day (bbl/d) of light-sweet crude oil, more than any other region of the country. Beginning in 2010, improvements to the crude distribution system and sustained increases in production in the region (in the Permian and...

February 9, 2015 Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Short-Term Energy Outlook Despite some supply disruptions and security threats, Iraq was the second-leading contributor to global oil supply growth in 2014, behind only the United States. Iraq accounted for almost 60% of production growth among the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), although this growth was more than offset by production declines in other OPEC countries. Iraq's crude oil production, which averaged almost 3.4 million barrels per day (bbl/d) in 2014, was 330,000 bbl/d above 2013 levels, despite the heightened security threat from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and disrupted production in northern Iraq. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Short-Term Energy Outlook, Iraq Country Analysis Brief ISIL attacks in northern Iraq in early June 2014 reduced northern Iraqi production and refinery operations (not including the Iraqi Kurdistan Region). These attacks did not affect...