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Oil.  U.S. oil prices fell to a six-week low today amid rising inventories, growing global oil output, and lackluster demand.  Furthermore, the price difference between Brent Crude — the global benchmark price — and the U.S. Benchmark has widened in recent days as growing U.S. inventories continue to place downward pressure on domestic prices and political disruption threatens supply abroad.  WSJ

Natural Gas.  While natural gas prices rebounded from losses to trade today, they are likely to fall in the near future as traders anticipate slowing demand brought about by oncoming warmer weather.  Temperatures have turned into spring-like conditions across most of the country, which will likely bring an end to the peak demand season for natural gas as a heating fuel.  WSJ

Energy Outlook.  According to an analysis from the U.S. Department of Energy, cost reductions and technology improvements will reduce the price of wind power to below that of natural gas power over the next ten years  — even without the subsidies that are currently in place.  The agency also estimated that power prices will decline by 2.2 percent if wind energy increases to 35% of all U.S. electricity supplies by 2050 — and that $400 billion worth of associated benefits could be reaped by this reduction in greenhouse gasses.  Bloomberg

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Energy Policy.  California and Quebec announced the completion of the second joint auction for carbon dioxide allowances as part of a cap-and-trade system in place between the two subnational markets. In the second auction — which included allowances for the transportation sector, including wholesale gasoline suppliers — all current vintage allowances were sold at just 1% above the first auction’s settlement price.  EIA

Solar.  According to new research from the Solar Energy Industries Association and GTM, total demand for U.S. solar power increased 30 percent in 2014, with residential installations alone surpassing 1 gigawatt for the first time in history.  This residential market has remained the fastest growing segment for solar power — gaining at least 50% in each of the past three years — establishing a trend attributed mostly to the falling price of panels and increased awareness among homeowners of the repercussions of climate change.  Bloomberg

Oil.  Falling oil prices are preventing Iraq from making critical investments needed to continue producing oil while also funding its efforts to fight Islamic State extremists.  While oil production has remarkably expanded in Iraq in recent years and provided much needed funding to “smooth-over” other challenges, falling revenues due to the oil-price decline threaten the country’s ability to weather internal and external threats to its stability. WSJ

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Energy Policy.  Mexican Energy Minister Pedro Joaquin Coldwell announced that there have been modifications to the financial terms and scope of the first round of oil block auctions in the Gulf of Mexico in an attempt to keep the auctions competitive amid low global prices.  These adjustments are largely consistent with international practices, such as the elimination of fixed monetary investment requirements in favor of fixed internationally recognized work “units”.  WSJ

Oil.  The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) increased its forecast for 2015 U.S. oil production due to an increase in baseline expectations from last quarter and an increase in production from the Gulf of Mexico, which is more resistant to price swings due to long-term investment requirements. However, the agency decreased its 2016 domestic production forecast, reasoning that the global drop in oil prices will likely have a significant impact on production from the U.S. shale formations next year. EIA, Reuters

Nuclear.  China’s top economic-planning agency recently approved construction of two new nuclear reactors for the first time in more than two years, indicating new momentum after delays due mostly to safety concerns. China is now the world’s biggest nuclear growth market, with projected power-demand growth offering favorable economic conditions for nuclear investments despite the availability of cheap natural gas.  WSJ

Solar.  A new report from Wood Mackenzie, a leading consulting firm that specializes in energy markets, predicts that solar power will be fully competitive with traditional sources of energy within 5 years in 19 states.  Nick Butler of the Financial Times discusses the technological innovations on which this forecast depends — specifically the collapse of solar module prices and improved modular efficiency — and asserts that such continued progress would likely be quick to globalize and would greatly transform the “status quo” of the energy sector.  FT

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Oil.  New, sturdier railroad tanker cars designed to prevent crude from escaping have been largely unsuccessful in four recent high-profile oil-train derailments.  While tanker-car improvements have been the leading safety measure endorsed by the industry, these events highlight significant risks posed by factors such as crude volatility and train length.  The Transportation Department proposed new rules for tank cars carrying crude late last year, and recommendations from the White House are expected in May.  WSJ

Energy Policy.  An op-ed in the Financial Times holds that U.S. oil export restrictions are exacerbating problems faced by U.S. oil producers by awarding “undeserved rents” to refiners and undermining the credibility of U.S. support for free trade.  Additionally, the article notes that the oil export ban creates a supply glut within the United States that widens the price between what producers would receive in the U.S. and what they would receive on the world market.  FT

Renewables.  The EIA’s latest Electric Power Monthly report shows that electricity generated from solar and wind power grew much faster than fossil-fuel generated electricity last year, with solar power more than doubling and wind growing faster than all other sources.  While renewables comprise the smallest portion of all U.S. electricity sources, industry analysts predict that they are likely to continue growing into 2015 as additional wind capacity comes online and the price of solar panels continues to decline.  EIA, WP

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Oil.  EIA data indicates that U.S. crude oil supplies stand at the highest level in more than 90 years, nearing 70% of the nation’s storage capacity.  Unless additional storage capacity is created amid the supply glut, analysts fear that prices will plunge further as producers discount oil to buyers with room to store it.  WSJ

Nuclear.  Four of the five nuclear power plants under construction are experiencing multiyear delays and cost overruns, largely due to difficulty obtaining large equipment modules needed to build critical components of the nuclear reactors.  The four projects use a new construction method where large structural sections of each nuclear reactor are built in a central facility and then relocated to plant sites for final assembly —  the method has the potential to greatly reduce the delays and cost overruns, but has proved more difficult than expected. WSJ

Oil.  Gasoline prices are rising five times as quickly as crude oil prices due largely to refinery shutdowns and subsiding panic in oil markets.  Government data indicates that refineries are operating at the lowest rate in six weeks, while production of gasoline fuel has slowed as plants shut down for seasonal maintenance.  Bloomberg