Volume 14 Issue 2
September 28, 2022 – October 4, 2022
Andrew Ji ‘25 | Wilder Crosier ‘25 | Cameron Farid ‘26
Liquified Natural Gas Imports Reach 15-Year Low Across US
September 27, 2022 | US Energy Information Administration | Katy Fleury
In the first half of 2022, US liquified natural gas imports reached a 15-year low. This is primarily due to a boost in dry natural gas production across the country. Since 2007, US natural gas production has increased nearly 80%, mainly due to advancements in shale fracking technology, allowing for the economical extraction of a larger array of energy resources. This fact points toward the broader image of a more energy independent United States, with the country becoming a net exporter of energy in 2019, the first time since 1952 (EIA). This signals an energy-independent economy, less dependent on unreliable or outside sources of energy, a topic relevant to the EU given Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggering an energy crisis. As winter approaches and residential energy consumption increases across the continent, families are left uncertain as to how they may ration their energy resources. Even cultural icons have been affected, with the Eiffel Tower’s iconic lights being turned off.
The increase in natural gas production and consumption across the US has had environmental benefits as well. In the past decade, record low natural gas prices have outcompeted coal for the US’ leading source of electricity. Natural gas is a much cleaner fuel than coal, and many even see it as the bridge between modern day fossil fuel use and a future dependent on some other, more advanced source, be it nuclear, renewables, or a future technology. - CF
Battery Startup Form Energy Raises $450 Million
October 4, 2022 | The Wall Street Journal | Amrith Ramkumar
One of the most challenging barriers to wind and solar energy is intermittency - the hours-long storage capacity of energy grids cannot yet meet the demands of energy consumption and distribution. A startup called Form Energy has risen to meet this challenge, proposing a days-long battery composed of low-cost iron pellets. To “charge” the battery, oxygen is pumped into the facility, causing the pellets to rust, while to “discharge”, the rust is converted back into oxygen. This “breathing” mechanism allows the battery to store energy for several days, Form Energy stated. Players contributing to the $450 million raised include the steelmaker ArcelorMittal and TPC. In the short term, the startup plans to use the raised funds to construct their first large-scale manufacturing facility, and start distributing the battery to customers.
Battery storage technologies are on the rise across the board as the result of the Inflation Reduction Act signed in August, encouraging companies to invest and develop clean battery technologies through incentives such as tax credits lasting through the decade. - AJ
Sabotaged Nord Stream Pipeline Releasing Large Amounts of Greenhouse Gas
September 30, 2022 | The Wall Street Journal | Eric Niiler
On September 26, large bubbles began to appear in the middle of the Baltic sea. They smelled of methane and signaled trouble for the region. Two natural gas pipelines crossing the seafloor from Germany to Russia were found to have leaks. Seismic records suggest the leaks were caused by underwater explosions, but it remains unclear who conducted the sabotage. The leaks subsided six days later, but only after the release of hundreds of thousands of tons of gas. Worst case estimates from the EPA suggest the emissions equate to 14.6 million tons of carbon dioxide, or about 2% of annual U.S. methane emissions. The leaks are an unfortunate waste, especially as methane is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. –WC