Growing Octane Needs Widen the Price Difference Between Premium and Regular Gasoline
The difference between U.S. average retail prices for premium and regular gasoline reached 50 cents per gallon in late 2016, and it has remained near that level so far in 2017. This price difference, or spread, has been generally increasing since 2000. Many factors on both the supply and demand sides are influencing this trend. One of the main performance characteristics of motor gasoline is octane, a measure of gasoline’s resistance to spontaneous combustion. In the United States, retail gas...
Earthquake Trends in Oklahoma and Other States Likely Related to Wastewater Injection
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the number of earthquakes east of the Rocky Mountains has increased dramatically since 2009. More earthquakes in these areas have coincided with the increase in oil and natural gas production from shale formations. Seismic events caused by human activity—also known as induced seismicity—are most often caused by the underground injection of wastewater produced during the oil and natural gas extraction process. Source: U.S. Geological Survey...
Veolia Nuclear Solutions Makes Bold Move Into Canadian Market, Chosen To Deploy Proven Technologies at Whiteshell Site
Veolia announced that its Nuclear Solutions entity, through its subsidiary Kurion (Canada) Inc., has been selected to design, fabricate, and commission a major remote waste access and conditioning system at the Whiteshell Laboratories in Manitoba under a new agreement with Canadian Nuclear Laboratories. The agreement builds on Veolia Nuclear Solutions’ successfully deploying similar technologies at Dounreay in the UK, and represents a significant move into the Canadian market for the firm. Ve...
PSE Chooses Delair -Tech for Pilot Project to Perform Transmission Line Inspection and Modelling
South Pasadena, California — Delair-Tech announced today that it has performed a series of test acquisitions for Puget Sound Energy (PSE) using LiDAR and photogrammetry sensors to demonstrate the added value of its UAVs for electric line inspections and digitization. The series of flights highlighted the significant advantage Delair-Tech products represent for linear infrastructure applications, even more so under BVLOS scenarios which will allow flying significant portions per given flight....
Department of Energy Announces $13.3 Million for Small Business Research and Development Grants in Colorado
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry announced that the Department of Energy will award 263 grants totaling $116 million – including 26 grants in Colorado totaling $13.3 million. Funded through DOE’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, today’s selections are for both Phase I and II research and development. There are 174 Phase I grants which will allow small businesses to research technical feasibility o...
Global Oil Markets Expected to Tighten in Third Quarter 2017, then Loosen Through 2018
Forecast world production of crude oil and other liquids in 2017 and 2018 was revised slightly downward in the June edition of EIA’s Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), which was issued after the May 25 announcement by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) of an extension to production cuts that were originally set to end this month. OPEC’s crude oil production target will remain at 32.5 million barrels per day (b/d) through the end of the first quarter of 2018. Given the...
Designing the Transformers of the Future
As methods of energy generation and distribution change, transformer design and manufacturing must adapt to meet evolving global standards, reduce coil losses and improve transformer performance. Transformer design today is affected by a number of changing conditions in our electricity distribution network. Energy generation, for example, is increasingly being generated through renewable sources like wind and solar power, replacing more traditional forms of energy generated through power plants...
Department of Energy Advances $32 Million in Funding for Advanced Technologies
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced up to $32 million in funding for 16 projects as part of two new Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) programs: ENergy-efficient Light-wave Integrated Technology Enabling Networks that Enhance Datacenters (ENLITENED) and Power Nitride Doping Innovation Offers Devices Enabling SWITCHES (PNDIODES). “The ENLITENED and PNDIODES programs demonstrate ARPA-E’s unique approach to advancing the development of energy tec...
Wind and Solar in March Accounted for 10% of U.S. Electricity Generation for First Time
For the first time, monthly electricity generation from wind and solar (including utility-scale plants and small-scale systems) exceeded 10% of total electricity generation in the United States, based on March data in EIA’s Electric Power Monthly. Electricity generation from both of these energy sources has grown with increases in wind and solar generating capacity. On an annual basis, wind and solar made up 7% of total U.S. electric generation in 2016. Electricity generation from wind and so...
Global High Voltage Switchgear Market to Approach $16 Billion by 2021, says GlobalData
The global high voltage (HV) switchgear market is set to rise from $11.6 billion in 2016 to just under $16 billion in 2021, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.4%, according to research and consulting firm GlobalData. The company’s latest report states that in growing economies such as Asia-Pacific (APAC) and the Middle East, the rise in electricity demand is driving the HV switchgear market, with substantial new capacity addition in the generation and transmission sectors....
Stormwater Interview with Robert Page, P.E., Vice President, HNTB
Santa Barbara County North Branch Jail Expansion
February Issue 2026
