Author: US Energy Information Administration

Utilities: Batteries Are Most Commonly Used for Arbitrage & Grid Stability

Electricity utilities increasingly report using batteries to move electricity from periods of low prices to periods of high prices, a strategy known as arbitrage, according to new detailed information we recently published. At the end of 2023, electricity utilities in the United States reported operating 575 batteries with a collective capacity of … [continued]

Some U.S. Regions at Risk of Energy Shortfalls in Extreme Summer Conditions

Parts of the United States could be at risk for electricity supply shortages if electricity demand peaks are higher than anticipated or if less electricity is generated than expected, according to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s (NERC) 2024 Summer Reliability Assessment. Under normal summer demand conditions, NERC expects the continental … [continued]

Forecast Strong Hurricane Season Presents Risk for U.S. Oil & Natural Gas Industry

Meteorologists are forecasting a particularly intense Atlantic hurricane season this year; they expect 20–25 named storms with a possibility of 30 or more, according to reports from AccuWeather in April. Colorado State University similarly forecasts an estimated 23 named storms this year. The potential for a stronger hurricane season suggests heightened risk for weather-related … [continued]

U.S. Electricity Consumption from Light-Duty Vehicles Likely Surpassed Rail in 2023

Light-duty vehicles (LDV) in the United States used more electricity than rail systems for the first time in 2023, according to new estimates in our Electric Power Monthly. We recently started publishing experimental estimates for LDV electricity consumption, which are not collected on our traditional surveys but are derived using a … [continued]