Energy Update

Developers in the geothermal industry report a common challenge: they often must wait years for permits before they can even determine whether a site is worth the trouble. Something must be done to address this grueling Catch-22, the industry has been saying for years. The Energy Department’s Geothermal Technologies Office and National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have also identified permitting as a major barrier to geothermal development in the U.S.

(Wed, 04 Mar 2015) These estimates of energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) are based on the States Energy Data System. The state data include a summary table with total energy-related CO2 by state beginning in 1990, a table with emissions by fuel in 2010 and a table with emissions by sector in 2011. Detailed tables for individual states provide emissions by fuel and sector for data beginning in 1980. Documentation for methodology is also included on the page.

(Wed, 04 Mar 2015) Data in the February 2015 Electric Power Monthly (EPM ) are for December 2014, during which net generation in the United States fell 4.5 percent from the December 2013 level. Consumption of coal for power generation fell 12.4 percent compared to December 2013. The average retail price of electricity for December 2014 was up 2.7 percent from what it had been in December 2013.

The Middle East is on track toward a nuclear proliferation nightmare as Iranian officials have expressed their intent to vastly expand Iran’s domestic nuclear enrichment capacity by the beginning of the next decade, Saudi Arabia is pursuing its own nuclear program, and Russia has just announced plans to partner with Egypt on the development of “an