Happy 40th Birthday NEED!
This year, The NEED Project celebrates 40 years of energy education.
The Price of a Barrel of Oil Reaches a Historic Low
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declares the novel coronavirus a pandemic. In the days and weeks that follow, Governors in most states give “shelter in place” or “stay at home” orders for everyone except essential workers. Schools close and children finish the school year by distance learning. Over 30 million Americans file for unemployment as businesses, hotels, stores, and restaurants close. People working from home no longer commute or travel for business. The world is producing more oil than it is using. Due to the complexity of oil pricing and oil trading, in April, the price of a barrel of oil reaches -$37.63. Some oil sellers must pay oil buyers to take their fuel. Off the coast of Long Beach, California, dozens of full oil tankers remain at anchor in the harbor waiting for refineries to accept their shipments. (nytimes.com, dailybreeze.com)
Record-Breaking Crude Oil Production
In November, monthly U.S. crude oil production averages 12.86 million barrels per day, the most monthly crude oil production in U.S. history. U.S. crude oil production increases significantly during the past 10 years, mainly due to production from tight rock formations developed using horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing to extract hydrocarbons. (EIA)
Wind Power Generates More Electricity Than Hydropower
Almost 60,000 wind turbines produce power in 41 states, Guam and Puerto Rico (AWEA). Annual wind generation in the U.S. exceeds hydroelectric generation for the first time. Wind power is now the top renewable source of electricity generation in the country. (EIA) Photo Credit: Dennis Schroeder/NREL
Oscillating Water Column Buoy
Ocean Energy’s oscillating water column buoy begins 12 months of open ocean, grid-connected testing at the Navy’s Wave Energy Test Site in Hawaii. (EERE) Link: https://www.energy.gov/eere/water/articles/ocean-energy-buoy-ribbon-cutting-ceremony
Commercial Hydrogen Fuel Cell Usage
There are more than 26,000 hydrogen fuel cell forklifts in use in warehouses, stores, and manufacturing facilities in the United States. Over 30 hydrogen fuel cell buses are providing transit service in various states including California, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Ohio. There are about 40 public, retail hydrogen stations where customers can drive up, fuel, and pay just like at a gasoline station, most located in California. More than 7,500 fuel cell cars are on the road. (EERE) Photo Credit: BMW Manufacturing
Leading the World in Petroleum and Natural Gas Production
Crude oil production in the U.S. increases by 17%, setting a new record of nearly 11.0 million barrels per day and surpassing Saudi Arabia to become the world’s largest producer of petroleum. Production in the Permian region of western Texas and eastern New Mexico contribute to most of the growth. In addition, U.S. dry natural gas production increases by 12% to 28.5 billion cubic feet per day, reaching a record high for the second year in a row. (EIA)
Historic Flight for World’s First Passenger Spaceship
Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo, VSS Unity, completes its first spaceflight. This is the first human spaceflight launching from American soil since the final space shuttle mission in 2011. Virgin Galactic operates a reusable spaceflight system, which includes a carrier aircraft and the world’s first spaceship carrying passengers into space for commercial service. (virgingalactic.com)
Self-Driving Cars Around Town
Waymo, the company that emerged from Google’s self-driving-car project, officially starts its commercial self-driving-car service in the suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona. The service isn’t open to the general public and human safety operators remain behind the wheel. Waymo claims its driverless vehicles have been roaming the streets under test conditions for more than 10 million miles. (wired.com)
World’s Fastest, Most Powerful Supercomputer
Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Summit supercomputer is named the fastest, most powerful supercomputer in the world. Summit is capable of 200 petaflops – or 200,000 trillion calculations per second. (DOE) Photo Credit: Carlos Jones/Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy
World’s First Hydrogen-Powered Train
The Coradia iLint, the world’s first passenger train powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, begins commercial passenger service in Germany. This zero-emission train emits low levels of noise and only steam and condensed water as exhaust. (Alstom.com) Photo Credit: ubahnverleih
Developing the First Open-Ocean Wave Energy Test Facility
The U.S. Department of Energy awards Oregon State University $35 million to permit, design, construct and operate a full-scale wave energy test facility seven miles off the Oregon Coast on the outer continental shelf in the Pacific Ocean. The facility, PacWave, expects to be operational in 2021. The open-ocean, power grid-connected test facility, will be a pre-permitted site for testing all types of wave energy conversion technologies. It is the first of its kind in the United States. (DOE)
Nation’s First Offshore Wind Farm
The nation’s first commercial offshore wind farm begins operating off Block Island, RI. The project has five wind turbines and a generating capacity of 30 MW. (AWEA) Photo Credit: Jennifer McCann, URI Coastal Resources Center
The Fastest-Growing Job in America
Wind turbine technician is America’s fastest-growing job. (AWEA) Photo Credit: Dennis Schroeder / NREL
Studying Wave Energy at Nation’s First Test Facility
The first U.S. grid-connected wave energy test facility becomes fully operational at the Marine Corps base at Kaneohe Bay on Oahu, Hawaii. (cbsnews.com)
World’s Largest OTEC Power Plant
The world’s largest grid-connected Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion power plant begins producing electricity for the U.S. grid at the Makai Ocean Energy Research Center in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. (makai.com) Photo Credit: EIA
A New Way to Store Solar Energy at Home
Tesla’s first-generation Powerwall launches. Powerwall integrates with solar to store excess energy generated during the day and makes it available when you need it, minimizing reliance on your utility. (tesla.com) Link: https://www.tesla.com/powerwall
Nation’s First Offshore Wind Farm Under Construction
The nation’s first offshore wind farm, the Deepwater Wind Project, begins construction off the coast of Rhode Island. (DOE) Photo Credit: Deepwater Wind
First Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle for Lease in America
Hyundai’s Tucson Fuel Cell vehicle is the first commercially leased FCEV in America. (DOE)
Autonomous Vehicle Prototype
Google unveils its autonomous vehicle, Waymo. The prototype of the driverless car has no steering wheel or pedals. (digitaltrends.com) Link: https://waymo.com/
Studying Energy in Ocean Currents
Florida Atlantic University receives permits for offshore ocean current testing in the gulf stream. (snmrec.fau.edu)
World’s Largest Concentrating Solar Power Facility
The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating Station comes online as the largest concentrating solar power (CSP) facility in the world. The facility, in California’s Mojave Desert, generates up to 392 MW. (DOE) Photo Credit: Justin Elliott
Nuclear Reactors Under Construction
Construction begins on two new nuclear reactors at the existing Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant in Georgia, the first nuclear reactors to be built in nearly 30 years. (DOE)
First Commercial Delivery in Space
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft is the first commercial spacecraft to deliver cargo to and from the International Space Station. (spacex.com) Link: https://www.spacex.com/dragon
World’s Largest Hydroelectric Power Plant
The Three Gorges Dam, on the Yangtze River in China, comes online. It is the largest hydroelectric facility in the world, generating the electrical equivalent of fifteen nuclear reactors. (DOE) Photo Credit: Yao Yilong Imaginechina/AP Images
Licenses to Build Nuclear Reactors
In February, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issues the first-ever combined licenses to build and operate two new nuclear reactors at the Vogtle Power Plant in Georgia (the NRC has not issued a license to build a new reactor since 1978). In March, the NRC issues combined licenses to build and operate two new reactors at the Summer Power Plant in South Carolina. (DOE) Link: https://www.georgiapower.com/company/plant-vogtle.html
Tidal Power Begins Generating Electricity for the Grid
Cobscook Bay Tidal Energy Project, the nation’s first commercial, grid-connected tidal energy project, begins operating off the coast of Eastport, Maine. (DOE) Link: https://tethys.pnnl.gov/project-sites/cobscook-bay-tidal-energy-project Photo Credit: TidGen™ Power System
World Record Magnetic Pulse
National Lab scientists achieve a 100.75-Tesla magnetic pulse, setting a world record. The pulse is nearly 2 million times more powerful than Earth’s magnetic field. The 100-Tesla multi-shot magnet can be used over and over again without being destroyed by the force of the field it creates and produces the most powerful non-destructive magnetic field in the world. (DOE) Link: https://www.energy.gov/articles/teslas-lab-los-alamos-powerful-magnets-come-full-circle
World’s Largest Natural Gas Producer
The United States surpasses Russia to become the world’s largest producer of natural gas. (DOE)
Final Space Shuttle Mission
NASA uses hydrogen gas as rocket fuel to deliver crew and cargo to space for 30 years. On July 8, 2011, the Atlantis Space Shuttle launches from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the 135th, and final, mission of the space shuttle program. (NASA) Photo Credit: ISS Expedition 28 Crew, NASA [public domain]
Natural Disasters Affect Energy Use
The Tohoku earthquake and subsequent tsunami causes an accident and shutdown at the Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Without nuclear power, Japan turns to thermal energy for power generation. Japan’s LNG consumption increases 27%. (EIA)
Electric Vehicles Hit the Road
The Nissan LEAF is the first mass-produced, modern production, all-electric vehicle for sale in the U.S. (DOE) Photo Credit: "Nissan Leaf Charging" by pchow98 is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
First Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle for Sale in America
The Chevy Volt is the first plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) built and sold in the U.S. It has a gasoline engine that supplements its electric drive if the battery runs low, allowing consumers to drive on electric for most trips but use gasoline to extend the vehicle’s range. (DOE) Photo Credit: John Biehler
Another Coal Mine Accident
A mine collapse in northern Chile traps 33 miners half a mile underground. After 69 days, everyone is rescued. (history.com)
New Safety Measures for Offshore Drilling
Secretary of the Interior Salazar announces a 6-month hold or “moratorium” on deep water drilling. The drilling ban ends in October after new safety rules for offshore drilling and new requirements for oil spill response and containment are adopted. (EIA)
Deadly Offshore Drilling Rig Accident
While drilling an exploratory well in the Gulf of Mexico, an explosion and fire occurs on the offshore drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, killing 11 crew members. Oil leaks from the unfinished well into the ocean for months. (EIA) Photo Credit: US Coast Guard
Deadly Coal Mine Accident
An underground explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia kills 29 miners. This is the worst mining accident in the U.S. since 1970. (EIA)
Developing Electric Vehicle Batteries and Building Charging Stations
The American Recovery and Investment Act of 2009 allocates $2 billion to develop electric vehicle batteries and related technologies. The U.S. Department of Energy adds another $115 million to build electric charging stations across the country. This helps reignite the electric vehicle industry. In addition, the U.S. Department of Energy invests over $31 billion to support clean energy projects and infrastructure updates nationwide. (DOE) Photo Credit: The Valley Hospital
Reducing the Cost of Wind Energy
The first 105-meter (345-foot) wind tower is installed in the U.S. by Enel Green Power North America. The new technology, along with the increased availability of large rotors, contributes to a 90 percent reduction in the cost of wind energy since 1980. (AWEA)
A Destructive Hurricane Season
Hurricanes Katrina (August) and Rita (September) cause massive damage to the nation’s petroleum and natural gas infrastructure. In September, U.S. residential natural gas prices reach a new high of $16.66 per thousand cubic feet. (DOE) Link: https://www.energy.gov/management/august-29-2005-hurricane-katrina
Energy Policy Act of 2005
Congress passes the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which promotes the use of coal through clean coal technologies, requires increasing use of renewable fuels for transportation, and new measures to reduce pollution from gasoline and diesel. (DOE)
First Hybrid Electric Vehicle Built in America
The Ford Escape Hybrid is the first hybrid electric vehicle manufactured in the U.S. (DOE) Photo Credit: Mario Roberto Duran Ortiz
First 3-Megawatt Wind Turbine
Vestas installs the first commercial 3-megawatt wind turbine in the U.S. (AWEA)
U.S.-Led Invasion of Iraq
The invasion of Iraq disrupts crude oil supplies. (DOE)
Astronauts Install Solar Panels in Space
At the International Space Station, astronauts begin installing solar panels on what will be the largest solar power array deployed in space. Each “wing” of the array consists of 32,800 solar cells. (DOE) Photo Credit: NASA
Recycling Helps Reduce Emissions
The EPA establishes a link between global climate change and solid waste management, noting that waste reduction and recycling can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. (DOE)
First Hybrid Electric Vehicle for Sale in U.S.
The Honda Insight is the first hybrid electric vehicle for sale in the U.S. (DOE) Photo Credit: khengsiong
Electric Utility Deregulation Begins
States with electric utility deregulation allow consumers to choose their electricity provider. (DOE)
First Free-Range Rover on Mars
On July 4th, the Mars Pathfinder lands on Mars to deliver Sojourner, the first free-range robotic rover, to the surface of the red planet. It operates for three months, sending data and images back to Earth. (NASA) Mars Pathfinder via https://mars.nasa.gov/mars-exploration/missions/pathfinder/
World’s First Hybrid Electric Vehicle
The Toyota Prius debuts in Japan as the world’s first mass-produced hybrid electric vehicle. It isn’t available worldwide until the year 2000. (DOE) Toyota Hybrid engine via https://blog.toyota.co.uk/history-toyota-prius
Demonstrating CSP Technology
The U.S. Department of Energy, along with an industry consortium, begins operating Solar Two—an upgrade of its Solar One concentrating solar power tower project. Operating until 1999, Solar Two demonstrates how solar energy can be stored efficiently and economically so that power can be produced even when the sun isn’t shining. It also fosters commercial interest in power towers. (EERE) Photo Credit: Solar Two
Nuclear Power Generates 20% of U.S. Electricity
109 nuclear power plants operate in the U.S., generating about one-fifth of the nation’s electricity. (DOE)
First Distributed Power System on the Grid
Pacific Gas & Electric installs the first grid-supported photovoltaic system in Kerman, California. The 500-kilowatt system is the first distributed power effort. (EERE)
Middle East Conflict Affects World’s Oil
Iraq invades Kuwait causing crude oil prices to increase. (DOE)
California Leads in Wind Power
California has more than 2,200 megawatts of wind energy capacity installed - more than half of the world’s capacity at this time. (DOE) Photo Credit: San Gorgonio Pass wind farm near Palm Spring, CA, Photo by Kit Conn
Oil Spill Damages the Environment
The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs aground, spilling 240,000 barrels of crude oil in Alaska’s Prince William Sound. (DOE) Photo Credit: NOAA
Largest Solar Thermal Power Plant
The world’s largest solar thermal facility is built in Kramer Junction, California. The solar field contains rows of mirrors that concentrate the sun’s energy onto a system of pipes circulating a heat transfer fluid. The heat transfer fluid is used to produce steam, which powers a conventional turbine to generate electricity. (EERE)
Worst Nuclear Disaster in History
Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident occurs in the former USSR (now Ukraine). (DOE) ABC video from 1986: https://abcnews.go.com/Archives/video/chernobyl-disaster-nuclear-plant-soviet-1986-9843882
OPEC Lowers Price of Crude Oil
OPEC lowers the price of crude oil for the first time, by increasing production. Oil consumption grows quickly while prices remain low. (DOE)
Nuclear Overtakes Hydropower
Nuclear replaces hydropower as the second-largest source of electricity in the United States, after coal. (DOE)
First Biomass Power Plant
The first (biomass) wood-fired power plant built primarily to generate electricity, begins operating in Vermont. (DOE) Photo Credit: The New York Times Archives
Sun Shines on Concentrating Solar Power Technology
The U.S. Department of Energy, along with an industry consortium, begins operating Solar One, a 10-megawatt central-receiver demonstration project in California. The project establishes the feasibility of power-tower systems, a solar-thermal electric or concentrating solar power technology. The demonstration project runs until 1988. (EERE)
First Megawatt-Scale PV Power Station
The first photovoltaic megawatt-scale power station goes on-line in Hesperia, California. It is a 1-megawatt capacity system. (EERE)
First Large Wind Projects
The first large wind projects are built in Altamont Pass and Tehachapi, California by multiple wind energy developers. At this time, little is known about siting practices, and the interaction between wind and wildlife is poorly understood. (AWEA)
Price of Crude Oil Set by Supply and Demand
The U.S. government ends price controls on crude oil and petroleum products. Supply and demand now set domestic crude prices. (DOE)
First Solar-Powered Aircraft
Paul MacCready builds the first solar-powered aircraft—the Solar Challenger—and flies it from France to England across the English Channel. The aircraft has over 16,000 solar cells mounted on its wings, producing 3,000 watts of power. (EERE)
