United States Diversification to Exportation

The trend towards energy supply diversification has pushed the United States to the point of exportation. A mix of renewable energy resources like wind and solar, plus aging nuclear and hydropower installations combined with an abundance of liquid natural gas or LNG now aptly describes the present energy portfolio.

LNG has emerged as the cleaner burning alternative to heavier fossil fuels like coal and petroleum. While coal and petroleum still provide the vast majority of the world's energy needs, the two fossil fuels are expected to diminish significantly in the coming decades with US LNG exports expected to increase exponentially.

Currently, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that the three major fossil fuels - LNG, coal and petroleum - still account for the majority of domestic energy consumption in the form of electricity, heat and transportation fuels. The EIA pie chart below shows that the three fossil fuels account for 81 percent of current US energy needs with nuclear and renewables at 19 percent. However, the coal and petroleum portions of the pie have been decreasing in the face of rising LNG production and growth of renewables.

Petroleum and coal will continue to shrink as natural gas and renewables grow.

On a final note, it feels great to return sharing fresh enerbytes again. Thank you for reading. Happy Holidays, everyone!

Fresh Enerbyte Country of the Month: China

China's has one of the fastest growing economies of the world. Energy providers within China race each year to keep pace with this growth. The country's yearly energy consumption has become so large that it totals more than the next two countries combined - the United States and India, according to data from the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (2014).

The International Energy Agency (IEA) recently reported that the level of Carbon Dioxide emissions have stalled worldwide even as economies such as China's continue to expand. Typically, CO2 emissions couple with economic growth. Electricity demand for industrial and individual users, plus fuels for the transportation sector create this economic-emissions correlation. The IEA chart below shows this recent break from the expected norm of the past.

The IEA report notes that the expansion in renewable energy sources, particularly in countries such as China have contributed to this break in global energy-related CO2 emissions. (IEA, 2016)

The video below provides an overview of China's largest wind farm and investment in renewable energy infrastructure as a whole.

World's Largest Wind Farm | China's Future Megaprojects: Part 6 (TDC, YouTube, 2016)

Thank you for visiting. See you on the 20th with the news story of the month.

Storing the Sun, Wind into the Future: The Growth of Energy Storage on the Power Grid

Renewable energy resources have quickly been increasing their piece of the power production pie in recent years. The growth of utility, commercial and residential energy storage solutions have been credited as a primary reason.

A major drawback to renewable resources is their intermittent nature. When the sun sets each evening and when the wind blows softly, there is no way to compensate for this lack of emission-free fuel. Whereas traditional fossil fuel resources and radioactive nuclear power still occupy the largest portions of the power production pie due to the ability to amp up or lower the amount of fuel fed into power plants to backup consumer demand at any given moment.

Growing energy storage solutions have become real game changers for the use of green energy sources as well as the overall nature of the future electric grid.

The video below briefly discusses the current dynamics of energy storage and offers a glimpse of its evolving role in electricity production and service.

(Video courtesy of Energy Storage North America, 2016)

I kindly thank you for your interest in better understanding all things energy. See you all on the 10th with the Enerbyte Country of the Month. Stay tuned!

Cracks in the Nuclear Power Ceiling: Rising Costs Outweigh Generated Power Benefits?

Exelon Generation Corp. recently announced that it will be closing two of its highest performing nuclear power plants in the the state of Illinois.

The plants at Clinton and Quad Cities have lost a combined $800 million in the past seven years. The power stations will retire in June 2017 and 2018, respectively.

Nuclear power plants have high capital (financial) costs over their lifetime. Generally, private investments,bank loans and the all-important, legislative support become necessary for plants to thrive. Exelon noted increasing costs associated with running nuclear plants in recent years. According to the company's website, the "costs to operate the facilities consist of labor, maintenance outages, fuel, capital investments and substantial property taxes paid to host communities." (See Exelon below.)

For continued use of nuclear power, the case to build to investors, bankers and governments has been one of guaranteeing that a combined cost from $2-4 billion all the way up to $9 billion for the construction of a new plant can be justified in the face of these less capital-intensive, more environmental and community friendly options coming into the market. In fact, the Union of Concerned Scientists noted back in 2009 that even after more than 50 years of nuclear power, it remains, "...too expensive to finance...." (See UCS below.)

To finish our news of the month, here is a video on Nuclear Power from the YouTube channel Kurzgesagt: In a Nutshell.

Please be sure to check out the links below and the YouTube Channel Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell. Kurzgesagt hosts several explanatory videos that makes science simpler to understand.

Thanks for your reading! See you July 1st!

Exelon: http://www.exeloncorp.com/newsroom/exelon-statement-on-early-retirement-of-clinton-and-quad-cities-nuclear-facilities
UCS: http://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear-power/cost-nuclear-power#.V2gmMo-cF1t

Canada, the Enerbyte Country of the Month

Canada is June's country of the month for a profile of its current energy system.

The country ranks 2nd globally in geographic size behind Russia, and over this vast territory lives a  population of 36 million (Statistics Canada, 2016). Canada has two official languages of French and English with the latter spoken largely in the Province of Quebec. It has an advanced technological society with a diversified, service-based economy that ranks among the world's largest.

Accordingly, the energy system developed similarly to that of other top economies of the world. Its electric grid and transportation needs are predominantly built around fossil fuel resources. The largest pieces of the pie chart below show the proportion that fossil fuels and nuclear power (~88%) play in providing for the country's energy needs, while the smallest pieces reflect the smaller role belonging to renewables (~12%).

Source: Natural Resources Canada, Energy Markets Factbook, 2014-2015.

Despite the present dominance of fossil fuels and nuclear power in Canada's energy pie, several factors have been contributing to a renewable energy revolution that may achieve near 100% renewable energy production within a generation. The video below comes from the Canadian Renewable Energy Co-Operative group, Our Power. It offers a brief explanation of what is powering Canada's energy transition.

Source: Our Power Canada, YouTube, 2016.

See you all on the 20th for the Enerbyte News^TM story of the month. I appreciate your stopping by.

Water Makes Power

Humanity's use of water as a source of power dates back thousands of years. Most recently it has been used as a source of renewable electricity.

In fact, the first electric grid in the United States was actually powered by the flow of a river. It provided enough electricity for a nearby factory plus the surrounding community where many of the workers lived.

The United States Department of Energy posted a video on the basics of water use for electricity, called hydroelectricity. The video explains how hydropower has become the largest source of renewable electricity production in the US. In the past, there had been concern over the environmental effects of large-size dams due to ecosystem disruption and associated methane gas emissions from the reservoirs they created. Methane is four times worse per unit than even Carbon Dioxide as a Greenhouse Gas. However, the video shows how technological developments have been addressing this issue as well as expanding the use of this plentiful, renewable resource.

Video: US Department of Energy, 2013, Energy 101: Hydropower

Thank you for reading and see you on the 10th with our first Enerbyte Country Profile!

Philadelphia Pioneers Electrified City Transport

Philadelphia will soon become the first big city on the East Coast to host a fleet of battery-electrified buses. The electrified transport on wheels arrive thanks to a $2.5 million grant to the metro area's public transport system, SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority).

The Proterra Catalyst buses will roll out on Philadelphia streets as part of the ongoing Greeworks program. Each of the 25 buses can carry up to 77 passengers and will look very similar to those city residents have already been taking.

Below is a video from Philadelphia's Office of Sustainability. It details this new and exciting step towards a cleaner and greener future for Philadelphia and hopefully other East Coast cities (New York, Boston, Baltimore, Washington) to follow.

Video Courtesy of ETA Agency and Jay Leno's Garage (YouTube, 2014)