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Energy Information Administration

U.S. Gas Production: Can We Trust the Projections?

Government (EIA) forecasts suffer in credibility when compared with geologic assessments.

The EIA predicts that natural gas consumption will climb more than 60 percent percent over 20 years, driving U.S. production up 50-plus percent over the same period. How does that square with geologic assessments?
Byline: 

Emil Attanasi

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The Bush Plan and Beyond: Toward a More Rational U.S. Energy Policy

Any plan to reduce energy consumption should rest on economics — not ideology.

In addition to increasing total U.S. gas consumption to 34.7 Tcf in 2020, it would take another 11.3 Tcf/year to convert existing coal-fired U.S. steam-electric capacity to gas-fired combined-cycle units operating at the same load factor. Clearly, that is a tall order. Nevertheless, we must face the fact that there are few alternatives other than backing out coal-fired generation that would reduce global carbon emissions to a total of less than 870-990 million metric tons between 1991 and 2100. The logical endpoint will be electrification of most stationary energy uses with high-tech renewable or essentially inexhaustible energy sources, and the use of hydrogen from non-fossil-fuel sources as the dominant transportation fuel.
Byline: 

Henry R. Linden

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California's Power Gamble: Long-Term Contracts, Locked-In Risk

High profit potential will attract new power plants, forcing prices down and stranding the state's long-term electricity purchases.


 

High profit potential will attract new power plants, forcing prices down and stranding the state's long-term electricity purchases.

Let's consider three questions crucial to California's energy crisis and its plans for solution.

Byline: 
Michael Schmidt
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Key to the Citygate

Have gas prices fallen victim to speculation?

On Thursday, Dec. 8, as natural gas hit $40 at the citygate for Southern California (prices hit $60 that Friday), I found myself in Colonial Williamsburg, a guest of Michigan State University's Institute of Public Utilities, at the group's annual conference, watching a panel of industry experts try in vain to explain what was happening.

Byline: 

Bruce W. Radford

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News Analysis

<b>Methods vary, notes one analyst, but are they barking up the wrong tree?</b>

News Analysis

 

Electric Shopping Credits: In Search of an Apples- to-Apples Comparison


 

Byline: 
Carl J. Levesque
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News Analysis

A Twenty-Fold Increase?

Former coal lobbyist Glenn Schleede plays Don Quixote, crusading against the DOE's 20-year initiative to boost investment in windmills.

Byline: 

Bruce W. Radford

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