Last Updated: October 2, 2014 The United States leads all other countries in the amount of electricity generated by wind, a title it has held since 2008. U.S. wind power totaled nearly 168 million megawatthours during 2013, about three times more than the wind power generated in the United States in 2008. The top five global producers of electricity from wind also include China, Spain, Germany, and India. Why wind power has increased A major contributor to increasing U.S. wind power in recent years has been the federal production tax credit. This tax credit pays producers 2.3 cents for every kilowatthour of electricity they generate from wind during the first 10 years a turbine is in operation. The current version of the tax credit allows producers to earn the credit as long as they began construction of their wind power projects during 2013 and, in general, as long as the turbines...

Energy Department Recognizes 11 Manufacturers for Energy Efficiency Achievements Better Plants Partners Rack Up Energy Savings as Partnership Continues to Grow Washington, D.C.—Building on the Administration’s efforts to double energy productivity and help American businesses save money by saving energy, the Energy Department today recognized 11 companies that have met ambitious energy-efficiency goals through the Better Buildings, Better Plants Program. Across the country, manufacturers spend more than $200 billion each year to power their plants. Through the Energy Department’s Better Plants Program, American manufacturers commit to improve their energy intensity by 25 percent over ten years, or an equally ambitious level for their sector. “Through cost-effective energy efficiency improvements in their factories, American manufacturers are boosting their energy productivity, saving money and protecting the environment by reducing carbon emissions,” said Secretary Ernest Moniz. “As a result, Better Plants Partners have avoided 18.5 million metric tons of carbon emissions to date, which...

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 October 2: Live Webinar on High Performance Outdoor Lighting Accelerator Webinar Sponsors:  Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs Office The Energy Department will present a live webinar titled “High Performance Outdoor Lighting Accelerator” on Thursday, October 2, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The Energy Department recently announced the expansion of the Better Buildings platform to include the newest initiative for the public sector, the High Performance Outdoor Lighting Accelerator (HPOLA), designed to accelerate the deployment of high performance street and outdoor lighting across at least 50 percent of a city's inventory over the next few years...

Building on the Obama Administration’s Climate Action Plan, the Energy Department today announced $25 million in funding to advance concentrating solar power (CSP) system technologies. This investment will fund research and development (R&D) projects to improve the performance and increase the efficiency of all components of CSP plants, ultimately lowering the cost of solar electricity and producing affordable, clean and renewable energy, even at night, by storing the heat generated by the sun. "Investments to improve the efficiency and lower the costs of concentrating solar power technologies enhance our ability to deliver affordable solar-generated electricity to American families and businesses, while also moving us closer to achieving President Obama’s goal of doubling renewable energy generation again by the end of the decade," said Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy David Danielson. CSP generates electric power by using mirrors to focus and concentrate the sun’s rays on a receiver from...

Last Updated: September 30, 2014 The world oil market is complex. Governments as well as private companies play roles in moving oil from producers to consumers. Government-owned national oil companies (NOCs) control most of the world’s proved oil reserves (78% in 2012) and oil production (58% in 2012). International oil companies (IOCs), which are often stockholder-owned corporations, make up the balance of global oil reserves and production. Proved reserves are the amount of oil in a given area, known with reasonable certainty, that today's technology can recover cost-effectively. Worldwide proved oil reserves are about 1.6 trillion barrels and global oil production averages roughly 90 million barrels a day. There are different types of oil companies There are three types of companies that supply crude oil to the global market. Each type has different operational strategies and production-related goals: International oil companies (IOCs): Includes companies like ExxonMobil, BP, and Royal Dutch Shell....

In support of President Obama’s all-of-the-above energy strategy, the Energy Department today announced up to $25 million in funding to reduce the cost of algal biofuels to less than $5 per gasoline gallon equivalent (gge) by 2019. This funding supports the development of a bioeconomy that can help create green jobs, spur innovation, improve the environment, and achieve national energy security. Algae biomass can be converted to advanced biofuels that offer promising alternatives to petroleum-based diesel and jet fuels.  Additionally, algae can be used to make a range of other valuable bioproducts, such as industrial chemicals, bio-based polymers, and proteins. However, barriers related to algae cultivation, harvesting, and conversion to fuels and products need to be overcome to achieve the Department’s target of $3 per gge for advanced algal biofuels by 2030. To accomplish this goal, the Department is investing in applied research and development technologies that achieve higher biomass yields...