HEADLINES ARCHIVE
Nuclear Power Plant Enters Service in China
Unit 1 of the Fuqing nuclear power plant in China's Fujian province has reached full generating capacity. Meanwhile, first concrete could soon be poured at the plant's fifth unit, the Hualong One reactor, according to the World Nuclear Association.
Residential Solar Energy Storage Market to Grow by Factor of 10 from 2014 to 2018
The global market for grid-connected residential photovoltaic (PV) solar installations coupled with energy storage is predicted to grow tenfold to reach more than 900 megawatts (MW) in 2018, up from just 90 MW in 2014, according to new analysis from IHS Technology.
U.S. and China Agree to Carbon Reduction Goals
U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping announced an agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. would aim to cut net greenhouse gas emissions 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025.
Russia Agrees to Build 8 Nuclear Power Plants in Iran
World Nuclear News reports that Russia has agreed to build up to eight new nuclear power reactor units in Iran, including at the Bushehr site on the Persian Gulf in southwest Iran, and four at another, to-be-determined site. The agreement was signed in Moscow by Sergey Kirienko, Rosatom director
Researchers Invent Nanoscale Battery Structure
Researchers at the University of Maryland have invented a tiny structure that includes all the components of a battery that they say could bring about the ultimate miniaturization of energy storage components.
Sunoco Logistics to Invest $2.5 billion in NGL Pipeline
Sunoco Logistics Partners L.P. announced a successful open season for Sunoco Pipeline L.P.’s Mariner East 2 project, the second phase of the company’s plan to provide pipeline transportation from the Marcellus and Utica shales.
Material Aims to Be "Black Hole" for Sunlight in Power Projects
An engineering team at the University of California, San Diego has developed a new nanoparticle-based solar power material that eclipses previous designs.
Flow Batteries Charge Toward Grid-Scale Energy Storage
The next-generation electrical grid will use advanced software, monitoring and renewable power sources to make the North American electrical supply more robust. But for maximum flexibility during peak demand, the grid also must be able to store power and supply it on demand.
Oil and Gas Company Margins Are Squeezed, Profitability Weakens, IHS Says
Despite a record year of capital investment totaling more than $720 billion in 2013, which represented an 18% increase above 2012 investments, companies operating in the global upstream energy industry saw their margins squeezed even tighter than in 2012, as costs continued to escalate rapidly.
Compressed Air Energy Storage May Get a New Breath of Life
It’s been a long dry spell for compressed-air energy storage (CAES). More than 20 years have passed since the last ribbon-cutting ceremony at a new CAES plant. But a combination of new technology, government mandate and technology innovation could breathe life into the becalmed CAES market.
Mexican Hydrocarbon Reform Likely to Attract Petrochemical Investment
The recent historic changes made to Mexico’s hydrocarbon laws is opening doors for private oil and gas investment in the country, which is expected to secure more competitive feedstocks necessary for expanded petrochemicals production in Mexico.
Boom in Hydropower Could Endanger Freshwater Biodiversity
A boom in hydropower dam construction is underway, primarily in developing countries and emerging economies. While this is expected to double the global electricity production from hydropower, it could reduce the number of large free-flowing rivers by about 20%.
Boeing, COMAC Open Plant to Transform Cooking Oil into Aviation Biofuel
Boeing and Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC) opened a demonstration facility that will turn waste cooking oil, commonly referred to as "gutter oil" in China, into sustainable aviation biofuel.
A Midstream Infrastructure Boom
Investment to infrastructure that transports crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (NGL’s) accelerate in response to growth in domestic production with a structural shift from import to export oriented infrastructure.
Distributed Solar PV System Prices Continue to Fall, Energy Labs Say
Distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) system prices dropped by 12–19% nationwide in 2013, according to the third edition of a jointly written report on PV pricing trends from the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
North Dakota Aims to Cut Gas Flaring
About 1/3 of the natural gas North Dakota has produced in recent years has been flared rather than sold to customers or consumed on-site.
Gas-fired Power Plant with Zero Air Emissions Secures Funding
NET Power LLC secured funding and project agreements to build a 50 megawatt thermal (MWt), $140 million gas-fired power plant that would produce no air emissions and includes what the North Carolina-based company says will be full carbon dioxide (CO2) capture.
Carbon Nanotube Light Source Could Cut Power Consumption
Scientists from Tohoku University in Japan have developed a type of energy-efficient flat light source based on carbon nanotubes with power consumption of around 0.1 Watt for every hour's operation, about a hundred times lower than that of an LED.
New DOE Rules to Focus on Energy Use in Federal Buildings
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) says it is pursuing a suite of initiatives to strengthen federal energy management through increased focus on measuring energy use in federal buildings and energy efficient building design.
Cheniere LNG Project Receives FERC Staff OK on Environment
Staff at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a final environmental impact statement (EIS) on October 8 for the Cheniere liquefied natural gas export terminal in Texas and concluded that impacts would be avoided or minimized and would not be significant.