It’s the equivalent of the annual greenhouse gas emissions from 210,526 passenger vehicles. It’s the amount of carbon released by burning over 1 billion pounds of coal. And it’s the amount of carbon dioxide that an Energy Department-sponsored project recently captured. Air Products and Chemicals Inc. captured their one-millionth metric ton of carbon dioxide at a hydrogen-production facility in Port Arthur, Texas. Air Products was one of 12 companies awarded Energy Department funding for a carbon capture and sequestration demonstration project in 2009 under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. Construction of the facility was completed in March 2013, on time and under budget. Like most hydrogen production facilities, Air Products’ Port Arthur facility uses steam methane reformers (SMRs), which produce CO 2 emissions as a result of the hydrogen production. By using a technology called vacuum swing adsorption, the project has been able to capture over 90 percent of the...

This article is part of the Energy.gov series highlighting the “ Top Things You Didn’t Know About… ” Be sure to check back for more entries soon. Encompassing three research sites and two offices in five separate states -- Alaska, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia -- the Energy Department’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) has a 104‑year history of conducting and sponsoring research to benefit the American people. Today, NETL ’s programs and people proudly work to advance energy options that fuel the nation’s economy, strengthen national security and improve the environment. 10. NETL could be called both the oldest and newest of the Energy Department’s National Labs. The history of NETL ’s Pittsburgh site stretches back to 1910, when the newly created Bureau of Mines in the U.S. Department of the Interior opened the Pittsburgh Experiment Station in Bruceton, Pennsylvania, 12 miles south of Pittsburgh. The station’s original purpose...

The Office of Fossil Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) have entered into a new data-sharing agreement that promises to improve methods of locating abandoned oil and gas wells. The DEP is engaged in an ongoing effort to discover and seal abandoned wells in Pennsylvania, while NETL has developed survey techniques that make it easier to find such wells. The data-sharing agreement will allow for research results to quickly benefit the Commonwealth and will provide NETL with a greater ability to assess the effectiveness of its survey technologies. Abandoned oil and gas wells pose a serious environmental and economic problem. Wellbores that have not been properly sealed provide potential pathways for methane gas to seep to the surface, where it can trigger explosions, contaminate water supplies, or impact modern drilling operations. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 1.2 million abandoned...

Last Updated: June 2, 2014 The United States holds the world's largest estimated recoverable reserves of coal and is a net exporter of coal. In 2013, U.S. coal mines produced just under one billion short tons of coal, the lowest output level since 1993. More than 90% of this coal was used by U.S. power plants to generate electricity. While coal has been the largest source of electricity generation in the United States for over 60 years, its annual share of total net generation declined from nearly 50% in 2007 to 39% in 2013 as some power producers switched to more competitively priced natural gas. At the same time, new environmental regulations also made it more costly to operate some coal plants. Coal is an abundant U.S. resource The United States is home to the largest estimated recoverable reserves of coal in the world. In fact, we have enough estimated recoverable...

Last Updated: May 30, 2014 The major energy sources consumed in the United States are petroleum (oil), natural gas, coal, nuclear, and renewable energy. The major users are residential and commercial buildings, industry, transportation, and electric power generators. The pattern of fuel use varies widely by sector. For example, oil provides 92% of the energy used for transportation, but only about 1% of the energy used to generate electric power. Understanding the relationships between the different energy sources and their uses provides insights into many important energy issues. How can we compare different fuels? Primary energy includes petroleum, natural gas, coal, nuclear fuel, and renewable energy. Electricity is a secondary energy source that is generated from these primary forms of energy. Primary energy sources are commonly measured in different units: one barrel (equals 42 gallons) of oil, cubic feet of natural gas, tons of coal. To compare across fuels a common...

The development of U.S. natural gas resources is having a transformative impact on the U.S. energy landscape, helping to improve our energy security while spurring economic development and job creation around the country. The Administration continues to take steps to ensure the safe and environmentally sustainable supply of natural gas. The Natural Gas Act directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to grant Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) export authorizations to non-Free Trade Agreement (FTA) countries unless the Department finds that the proposed exports “will not be consistent with the public interest.” Since receiving the first long-term application in 2010 to export LNG to non-FTA countries from the lower 48 states, the Department of Energy has been -- and remains -- committed to conducting a public interest determination process as required by the Natural Gas Act that is expeditious, judicious and fair. Throughout this time, the Department has consistently made clear that a...

From discovering subatomic particles to developing  protective coatings for airplanes , our National Labs are constantly making advancements in research and development. This week, the National Energy Technology Lab held an open  project review meeting  to show the public exactly what they’re working on right now. Held in Pittsburgh, the meeting included presentations of 79 projects from the lab’s  Crosscutting Research Program , and was the first-ever forum for sharing research in three of the lab’s main topic areas: simulation-based engineering, sensors and controls, and high-performance materials. The lab often partners with private sector companies, universities or other National Labs to perform research. Of the 79 projects presented at the meeting, 32 were selected as part of the  University and Training Research Program  -- a lab initiative that consists of the  University Coal Research  program and  Historically Black Colleges and Universities Education and Training  initiative. For example, the National Energy Technology Lab partnered with...

Last Updated: April 14, 2014 U.S. power plants used renewable energy sources, including water (hydroelectric), wind, biomass wood and waste, geothermal, and solar, to generate about 13% of electricity produced in the United States during 2013. Most renewable-generated electricity is from hydropower The largest share of electricity generated by renewable sources in 2013 came from hydroelectric power (52%), followed by wind (32%), biomass wood (8%), biomass waste (4%), geothermal (3%), and solar (2%). Electricity generation from renewable resources is primarily a function of generation capacity and the availability of the resource. The history of electricity generation has been different for each renewable energy source. Nearly all hydroelectric capacity was built before the mid-1970s, and much of it is at dams that are operated by federal agencies. Biomass waste is mostly municipal solid waste that is burned in waste-to-energy power plants. Most electricity generation from wood biomass occurs at lumber and paper...

Last Updated: September 13, 2013 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 proved oil reserves (85% in 2010) and current production (58% in 2010). International oil companies (IOCs), often well-known stockholder corporations, own the balance of the reserves and produce the remainder of the oil. 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 1.5 trillion barrels and production averages roughly 89 million barrels a day. Different types of oil companies operate differently There are three types of companies that supply crude oil to the world market. Each type has different operational strategies and production-related goals: International oil companies (IOCs), including ExxonMobil, BP, and Royal Dutch Shell are entirely investor-owned...

HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF) - A University of Alabama-Huntsville engineering student invented new green technology that could help save the Huntsville Police Department thousands of dollars every year. Read Full News