October 30, 2014 In the long term, energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are driven by economic and efficiency trends and changes in the fuel mix. But weather fluctuations, which drive the level of energy use for both heating and cooling, are a very significant factor affecting year-to-year variation in fossil fuel consumption and their resulting emissions. EIA's most recent monthly Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), issued on October 10, forecasts U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions for 2014 and 2015 at 5,457 million metric tons (MMmt) and 5,436 MMmt, respectively, both higher than the 2013 emissions level of 5,396 MMmt. The forecasted 1.1% rise in CO2 emissions for 2014 relative to their 2013 level reflects a combination of historical energy use data already in hand for more than half of the year and forecasted energy use for the remaining months. Very cold weather early this year contributed to an increase in total energy use...

WASHINGTON – Supporting the goals of the Obama Administration’s Climate Action Plan, the Energy Department today announced $15 million in available funding to help integrate distributed, on-site solar energy systems into the nation’s electrical grid. With more solar power installed in the United States in the last 18 months than in 30 years prior, solar is shattering records. Since President Obama took office, the amount of solar power installed in the U.S. has increased more than thirteen fold – from 1.2 gigawatts (GW) in 2008 to an estimated 15.9 GW today – enough to power the equivalent of 3.2 million average American homes. As more solar comes online, the Energy Department is working to address the challenges of solar power, such as the variability of available sunshine during the day, and developing solutions to better integrate solar photovoltaics (PV) with electric power systems throughout the grid. To further spur widespread deployment...

The Energy Department, in coordination with the Navy, today announced funding for two companies that will continue to advance marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) technology as a viable source for America’s clean energy future. Ocean Energy USA and Northwest Energy Innovations will test their innovative wave energy conversion (WEC) devices for one year in new deep water test berths at the Navy’s Wave Energy Test Site (WETS) off the waters of Marine Corps Base Hawaii. MHK technologies convert the energy of waves, tides, rivers, and ocean currents into clean, renewable electricity that can be used by homes and businesses throughout the country. With abundant resources in coastal areas across the United States, MHK technologies hold the potential to help meet America’s renewable energy needs. A total of $10 million has been made available for these in-water tests to collect important performance, reliability, and cost data from innovative WEC devices that are in...

To help you save money by saving energy, we launched #AskEnergySaver -- an online series that gives you access to some of the Energy Department’s home energy efficiency experts. During 2014, experts from the Department and our National Labs will be answering your energy-saving questions and sharing their advice on ways to improve your home’s comfort. Home heating and cooling account for about 48 percent of the average utility bill. As the weather gets cooler, it’s important to weatherize your home in order to save money while staying cozy. And while we have lots of great tips for saving on heating and cooling , we know there are always more questions to be answered. This month we asked you to share your questions about home heating. To answer them we turned to Iain Walker , a scientist at the Energy Department’s Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. His research focuses on how ventilation...

October 29, 2014 Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, based on U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Following a two-year hiatus, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has resumed issuing license renewals for nuclear power plants. On October 20, the NRC renewed the operating licenses for Limerick Generating Station Units 1 and 2, located northwest of Philadelphia, extending their license expiration dates by 20 years, to 2044 and 2049, respectively. With this action, the NRC has granted license renewals providing a 20-year extension to a total of 74 of the 100 operating reactors in the United States. Nuclear power accounted for 20% of total power sector electricity generation in 2013. NRC has the authority to issue initial operating licenses for commercial nuclear power plants for a period of 40 years. The decision to apply for an operating license renewal is made by nuclear power plant owners, and it is typically based on...

The Energy Department today announced the launch of the $1 million H2 Refuel H-Prize.  This two-year competition challenges America's engineers and entrepreneurs to develop affordable systems for small-scale, non-commercial hydrogen fueling. These projects will continue to deploy hydrogen infrastructure across the country to support more transportation energy options for U.S. consumers, including fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).  Successful entries will install and test systems that generate hydrogen from resources available at most homes, like electricity or natural gas, and provide the hydrogen to fuel vehicles. This competition plans to offer a $1 million cash prize to the team that demonstrates the best system. Hydrogen infrastructure remains the most critical barrier to the widespread adoption of FCEVs.  Both government and industry are focused on identifying actions to encourage early adopters of FCEVs, by conducting coordinated technical and market analysis and leveraging other alternative fueling infrastructure to enable cost reductions and economies of...

My townhome doesn't allow solar panels. To the homeowners association (HOA), they are ugly and disrupt the cohesive (cough, cookie-cutter) look of the neighborhood. To me this was a blow. Not only do I think solar panels look cool, I work at the National Renewable Energy Lab. I talk about energy-efficiency on Energy Saver social media, and I used to constantly nag my roommate to turn off her lights. (At one point I secretly switched all her light bulbs to LEDs without her noticing.) So needless to say, I wanted to install solar panels. But while I don't have the option for solar panels (at least until the HOA wakes up and changes its policy), many of you out there do! This month we've talked all about how to use solar energy, but we haven't talked about why. Well, you're in luck. Today, you get to hear all about what solar...

To commemorate National Energy Action Month, we’re featuring some scarily effective ways to save energy at home. As cooler weather lurks around the corner, tune in to Energy.gov all week long for ways to save energy and money -- and avoid cold weather terrors like energy vampires. We also put together some energy-themed pumpkin patterns to help “energize” your neighborhood for Halloween. Send us photos of your energy-themed jack-o-lanterns via Twitter , Instagram , Facebook or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we'll share our favorites. As Halloween draws near, I can’t help but think about basements. While you won’t find them in every home across the country, basements are often neglected and unused spaces. They can harbor air and/or water leaks, and depending on where you live, they can be susceptible to dampness, humidity or mold. Some might say basements are energy monsters in their own right -- they can potentially gobble...

October 28, 2014 Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, from Bloomberg Note: Dubai/Oman price calculated by taking the average of Dubai and Oman spot prices. When energy analysts and the media discuss the price of crude oil, they are typically referring to one of a small group of specific types of crude oil that are widely and actively bought and sold. The use of such benchmark crudes makes it easier for buyers and sellers to price the variety of crudes that are produced around the world. The most widely used benchmarks are associated with crude oil that has four common qualities: stable and ample production; a transparent, free-flowing market located in a geopolitically and financially stable region to encourage market interactions; adequate storage to encourage market development; and/or delivery points at locations suitable for trade with other market hubs, enabling arbitrage (profit opportunities) so that prices reflect global supply and...