U.S. imports of biomass-based diesel, which include biodiesel and renewable diesel, totaled 14.1 million barrels in 2017, a 36% decrease from 2016. Although increasing Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) targets have driven increased biomass-based diesel demand in recent years, imports fell…

Month: April 2018
U.S. exported a record amount of fuel ethanol in 2017
The United States exported nearly 1.4 billion gallons of fuel ethanol in 2017, surpassing the previous record of 1.2 billion gallons set in 2011. U.S. imports of ethanol in 2017 increased compared with 2016 but remained relatively small at 77…
Renewable energy subsidies have declined as tax credits, other policies diminish
Federal subsidies for renewable energy-including biofuels for transportation use and renewable generation of electricity-dropped to $6.7 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2016, a 56% decline from FY 2013. Renewable subsidies in FY 2010 and FY 2013 were approximately $15 billion,…
Federal financial interventions and subsidies in U.S. energy markets declined since 2013
EIA has updated its report on federal financial interventions and subsidies in energy markets, covering the 2016 U.S. government fiscal year (FY). Subsidies for many energy categories have declined since FY 2013, when spending related to the American Recovery and…
Coal power generation declines in United Kingdom as natural gas, renewables grow
In the United Kingdom, electricity produced from coal declined from 42% of total electricity generation in 2012 to 7% in 2017. According to U.K. National Grid data, on April 21, 2017, the country went 24 hours without any electricity generated…
Pennsylvania’s natural gas production continues to increase
Pennsylvania’s marketed natural gas production averaged a record 15 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2017, 3% higher than the 2016 level. This production is largely from shale plays in the Appalachian Basin. Pennsylvania accounted for 19% of total…
Fuel cell power plants are used in diverse ways across the United States
At the end of 2016, the United States had 56 large-scale fuel cell generating units greater than 1 megawatt (MW), totaling 137 megawatts (MW) of net summer capacity. Most of this capacity (85%) has come online since 2013. Fuel cells…
U.S. coal exports increased by 61% in 2017 as exports to Asia more than doubled
The United States exported 97.0 million short tons (MMst) of coal in 2017, a 61% (36.7 MMst) increase from the 2016 level. Exports to Asia more than doubled from 15.7 MMst in 2016 to 32.8 MMst in 2017, although Europe…
The U.S. is an active participant in petroleum markets as both an importer and exporter
U.S. net petroleum trade, including crude oil, petroleum products, and natural gas plant liquids, has fallen in recent years, reaching 3.7 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2017. This is the lowest level of net petroleum trade (imports minus exports)…
Customer spending on electricity expected to increase this summer
EIA’s Short-Term Energy Outlook forecasts the typical U.S. household will spend an average of $426 for electricity this summer (June–August), an increase of about 3% from the average summer expenditures in 2017. The expected increase in electricity bills is a…