Wind was responsible for 4.8 percent of America’s electricity used in January. That’s the highest January total ever, breaking the record from last January, which broke the record for the January before that, and so on.
America’s rising wind power feels unstoppable. That’s because in many areas of the country wind has reached an important tipping point: becoming cheaper than coal and natural gas. In fact, states getting the most electricity from wind include gas-rich Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado.
Onshore wind power has come of age, and not just in the U.S. This next chart shows the levelized cost of energy worldwide, using data from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). Average onshore wind power now costs the same as gas worldwide, at about $84 per megawatt hour. That’s without subsidies.
In the U.S., competition between wind and gas is fierce. New techniques known as fracking (or hydraulic fracturing for the timid) have overhauled the U.S. energy economy and brought America some of the cheapest natural gas prices in the world. In order to compete, U.S. wind relied on a tax credit, which expired at the end of last year.
Even without the subsidy, wind prices are getting cheaper as the technology improves. The cost of wind energy has declined by 43 percent over the last four years. There’s a backlog of projects that already qualified for the tax credit that will ensure a steady pace of turbine growth for the next few years, according to BNEF wind analyst Amy Grace.Wind competes with natural gas. Remember: the Bakken is an oily field. I guess that's why North Dakota was not included among the states with most slicers and dicers.
Active rigs in North Dakota:
| 4/7/2014 | 04/07/2013 | 04/07/2012 | 04/07/2011 | 04/07/2010 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active Rigs | 194 | 187 | 208 | 171 | 103 |
Seven (7) new permits --
- Operators: Hess (4), Whiting (3)
Fields: Cherry Creek (McKenzie), Big Stone (McKenzie), Pleasant Hill (McKenzie), Estes (McKenzie), Hay Creek (McKenzie) - Comments:
Six (6) producing wells completed:
- 26109, 1,399, Oasis, Montague 55-1 13-3 3B, Cow Creek, t2/14; cum --
- 23878, 570, CLR, Juneau 5-11H, Brooklyn, t3/14; cum --
- 23877, 802, CLR, Juneau 4-11H, Brooklyn t3/13; cum --
- 24256, 2,546, HRC, Fort Berthold 152-93-7D-6-1H, Four Bears, t2/14; cum --
- 25837, 1,286, XTO, Duke 34X-31E, Siverston, t3/14; cum --
- 25835, 2,595, XTO, Duke 34X-31F, Siverston, t3/14; cum --
- 23541, drl, Enerplus, Honor 150-94-06B-18H TF, Spotted Horn, no production data,
- 25787, drl, Hess, EN-Cvancara A-155-93-3231H-5, Robinson Lake, no production data,
- 26092, drl, BR, Big Bend 21-2TFH, Camel Butte, no production data,
- 26171, drl, Hess, SC-4WX-153-98-3130H-1, Banks, no production data,
- 26334, drl, Hess, GN-Frantzick-158-97-1003H-1, New Home, no production data,
- 26442, 665, Slawson, Bazooka 3-20H, Big Bend, t2/14; cum 24K 2/14;
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Doomsday: California
The news continues to worsen for the Southland. Earlier it was reported that since 1990, the job growth in Los Angeles has been worse than in Detroit. Now this: Boeing will shut down the C-17 manufacturing in Long Beach three months early.
Boeing Co. announced plans to stop production of C-17 cargo jets at the company's sprawling Long Beach plant three months earlier than it previously anticipated.
The aerospace giant said Monday it will shutter the 1.1-million-square-foot facility in mid-2015 due to “current market trends and the timing of expected orders.” The plane maker had initially said that production would come to an end in late 2015.
The company said it expects to record $50 million in accounting charges in the first quarter as a result of Monday's announcement.
Boeing said about 2,200 employees support the C-17 program in California. The company already began workforce reductions this year and plans to continue the cuts through closure.
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