In 2020, energy production in the United States fell to just below 96 quadrillion British thermal units (quads), down more than 5% from 2019’s record high, according to our Monthly Energy Review. In absolute terms, the drop from 101.3 quads in 2019 to 95.8 quads in 2020 marked the largest annual decrease … [continued]
The Indian Point Energy Center (Indian Point) permanently stopped generating electricity on April 30, 2021, when it retired its last operating nuclear reactor, Unit 3, earlier than originally planned. The Indian Point nuclear power plant began operations in 1962 and produced over 565 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity in the 59 years it was … [continued]
In the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Annual Energy Outlook 2021 (AEO2021), EIA projects a significant number of battery energy storage systems will be added to the U.S. power grid. In the AEO2021 Reference case, which reflects current laws and regulations, 59 gigawatts (GW) of battery storage will serve the power grid … [continued]
As of December 2020, the states with the most small-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity were California (10.6 gigawatts (GW)), New Jersey (1.9 GW), and Massachusetts (1.8 GW). Of the 4.5 GW of small-scale solar capacity added in the United States in 2020, California accounted for 31%, the largest share by … [continued]
In both 2019 and 2020, project developers in the United States installed more wind power capacity than any other generating technology. According to data recently published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) in its Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory, annual wind turbine capacity additions in the United States set … [continued]
During the cold snap that affected much of the central part of the country, U.S. dry natural gas production fell to as low as 69.7 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) on February 17, a decline of 21%, or down nearly 18.9 Bcf/d from the week ending February 13. Natural … [continued]
Editor’s note: Note that this evaluation does not take social, environmental, or public health costs into account, and natural gas comes with high social, environmental, or public health costs. Those costs, for the most part, are not priced into power plant costs in the United States. A supplemental report to … [continued]
Electric energy storage is becoming more important to the energy industry as the share of intermittent generating technologies, such as wind and solar, in the electricity mix increases. Electric energy storage helps to meet fluctuating demand, which is why it is often paired with intermittent sources. Storage technologies include batteries … [continued]
The United States will likely take years to return to 2019 levels of energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions following the impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. economy and global energy sector.
In the final months of 2020, electricity generation from wind turbines in the United States set daily and hourly records.
