generation

US utility solar power generation dominated by crystalline silicon panels

USA

70% of U.S. utility-scale solar PV capacity used crystalline silicon modules rather than thin-film Most of the growing number of installations of utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) operating capacity across the United States have been systems that make use of crystalline silicon panels, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. In 2016, 70 per cent of […]

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‘Refined’ coal accounts for 20% of US coal-fired power generation so far in 2017

USA

Refined coal was encouraged through tax credits in American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 The U.S. power sector consumption of coal is increasingly shifting to refined coal, even as coal-fired electricity generation decreases, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Refined coal has been processed to remove certain pollutants from raw, or feedstock, coal. Electricity

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Natural gas power generation share grew for decade in Southern states as coal declined

USA

 Texas and Oklahoma in region with some of country’s best wind resources Coal’s share of total electricity generation in the South declined over the past decade, from 50 per cent in 2006 to 29 per cent in 2016, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.As the use of coal has declined, the use of natural gas

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Biomass and waste fuels made up 2% of total US electricity generation in 2016

USA

Biomass gas-generating plants typically operate at high utilization rates Biomass and waste fuels generated 71.4 billion kilowatthours of electricity in 2016, or 2 per cent of total generation in the United States, according to EIA’s recently released annual electric power data. Biomass fuels are defined as all non-fossil, carbon-based (biogenic) energy sources. Waste fuels are defined

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American CO2 emissions from coal fell by record amount in 2015, led by Texas and Midwest

USA

Most decrease in coal-fired electricity generation was replaced with increases in natural gas-fired generation Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions associated with coal consumption in the United States fell by a record 231 million metric tons in 2015, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. More than 60 per cent of the annual decrease occurred in 10

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Coal stockpiles at US power plants have fallen since last year

USA

 57% of US coal-fired electricity generating capacity had over 60 days of burn In Aug. 2017, coal stockpiles at electric power plants were 144 million tons, the lowest monthly level since late 2014, according to EIA’s Electric Power Monthly. Coal stockpiles at U.S. coal-fired power plants typically follow a seasonal pattern of increasing during the spring

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EIA forecasts growth in world nuclear electricity capacity, led by non-OECD countries

USA

 United States operates world’s largest nuclear fleet with 99 reactors The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects global nuclear capacity will grow at an average annual rate of 1.6 per cent from 2016 through 2040, led predominantly by countries outside of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). EIA expects China to continue leading world

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Repowering wind turbines adds generating capacity at existing sites

News

Annual U.S. wind repowering investment has potential to grow to $25 billion by 2030 Repowering older wind turbines, which involves replacing aging turbines or components, is becoming more common in the United States as the turbine fleet ages and as wind turbine technology advances, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Newer turbines tend to

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Texas and Saskatchewan have only carbon capture and sequestration plants in world

News

Kemper cost overruns led to construction costs in excess of $7.5 billion The Petra Nova facility, a coal-fired power plant located near Houston, Texas, is one of only two operating power plants with carbon capture and storage (CCS) in the world, and it is the only such facility in the United States, according to the U.S.

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Puerto Rico electricity service slow to return after Hurricane Maria

USA

2/3 of electricity generation located in south portion of island, most of population in north More than one month after Hurricane Maria made landfall, electricity service has not been restored to most residents of the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. As of Monday morning, the Puerto Rico Electric

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