Author: WeWorldMedia-admin

Solar and wind power curtailments are increasing in California

Published: 28 May 2025
Categories: US Energy Information Administration

RSS feed source: US Energy Information Administration

In-brief analysis

May 28, 2025

The California Independent System Operator (CAISO), the grid operator for most of the state, is increasingly curtailing solar- and wind-powered electricity generation as it balances supply and demand amidst rapid renewables capacity growth.

Grid operators must balance supply and demand to maintain a stable electric system. The output of wind and solar generators is reduced either through price signals or, rarely, through an order to reduce output during periods of:

Congestion, when power lines don’t have enough capacity to deliver available energy Oversupply, when generation exceeds customer electricity demand

In 2024, CAISO curtailed 3.4 million megawatthours (MWh) of utility-scale wind and solar output, a 29% increase from the amount of electricity curtailed in 2023.

Solar accounted for 93% of all the energy curtailed in CAISO in 2024. CAISO curtailed the

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Volcanic ash is critical to tracking changes in eruption behavior

Published: 28 May 2025
Categories: National Science Foundation

RSS feed source: US Energy Information Administration

U.S. National Science Foundation-funded researchers discovered that subtle changes in magma composition may drive tremors during volcanic eruptions, offering a new tool for forecasting volcanic activity and guiding hazard assessments.

Volcano forecasts are critical for protecting lives and property by warning nearby residents to evacuate, take safety precautions and seek emergency services. In addition to offering new clues into the cause of volcanic tremor, a key eruption monitoring parameter, this study shows the benefit of combining petrological data collection, like ashfall, with geophysical data to improve eruption forecasting, hazard assessment and decision-making during volcanic crises.

After lying dormant for 50 years, the Cumbre Vieja volcano in the Canary Islands erupted in September 2021, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate. Over the next 85 days, the eruption destroyed over 3,000 buildings and hundreds of acres of farmland.

Working with local scientists, a research team led by Queens College of the City University of New York (CUNY), in collaboration with the CUNY Graduate Center and the American Museum of Natural History, set up a system near the volcano that collected samples of falling ash almost daily, capturing 94% of the eruption timeline. This study represents an unprecedented level of detail, revealing critical insights into internal magma properties and eruption dynamics throughout the three-month eruption.

Analysis revealed that in the first week of the eruption, magma had higher concentrations

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EIA counts U.S. electricity generation in different ways

Published: 27 May 2025
Categories: US Energy Information Administration

RSS feed source: US Energy Information Administration

In-brief analysis

May 27, 2025

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Hourly Electric Grid Monitor

At EIA, we publish U.S. electricity net generation from two different perspectives:

The two sets of reports reflect different generating units, so adding up net generation from the Hourly Electric Grid Monitor from each hour of a month or year will not match the net generation published in our Electric Power Monthly or Electric Power Annual.

Why doesn’t hourly generation data match monthly or annual generation data in EIA reports?
EIA’s Hourly Electric Grid Monitor only captures generating units that are managed by a balancing authority and generating units with operations visible to a balancing authority. A balancing authority is an entity that is responsible for balancing electricity supply and demand at a regional or local level. Balancing authorities include

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