Brent O'Connell

April 22, 2016

Weather and Your Major
Our weather on Earth can have a huge impact, good or bad, on
our energy production systems regardless of what they are. Anything
from renewable energy sources to offshore oil drilling can be affected.
Our energy systems for the most part are at the mercy of the weather
we receive. Within the energy management major, companies in all
different fields work closely with meteorologist to reduce loss and
increase production.
Offshore drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico are extremely
susceptible to hurricanes because they are right in the path of any that
does not turn away from the east coast in time. The Gulf of Mexico also
provides an increase in power to hurricanes that make it that far due to
the warm waters in the area. This area is crucial for domestic oil and
natural gas production. It serves 17 percent of the total crude oil and
natural gas production in the United States, and the Gulf Coast is home
to 45 percent of the US oil refining capacity and 51 percent of the
natural gas processing. So when these areas are hit with hurricanes, it
can have serious economic consequences. Depending on the severity
of the storm, production may be back in as little as a few days or it
may take a few weeks. With a daily production of 1.4 million barrels,
even a few days can make an impact. Since this equates to about 63

million dollars a day, operators of rigs are usually conservative when it

comes to shutting down and evacuating rigs. This can put personnel
and equipment at risk.
Hurricanes can create environmental impacts as well, over 10
years ago, a rig operated by Taylor Energy Company was tipped over
during a hurricane is still leaking oil to this day. The estimates are at 91
gallons per day but many think it could be higher. Hurricanes can have
devastating effects on the local environment, economy and energy
production for rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.
Wind turbines are completely at the mercy of our weather. Its
estimated that 18 million homes are powered by wind in 2016. Wind
turbines work great in many areas such as the Great Plains because of
the constant and strong wind, however some parts of the United States
like the south dont have any turbines because of the lack of wind
speed or consistency. This is one of the reasons wind power will never
become a main source of energy in the United States but instead can
fill gaps created by other forms of energy production. The cost to send
this energy to area without turbines would have immense cost and
construction obstacles.
Yet another energy source that is affected by our weather is solar
power. Photovoltaic cells will only perform at about 10-25 percent of
capacity during cloudy days. However, when the sun is on the edge of
a cloud, it can produce even more energy that it is rated for due to the

magnification of the suns rays, making up for the loss from clouds.
Solar power is another example of an energy source that works better
in certain parts of the country. The southwest receives much more sun
annually that cities in the east do, sometimes even close to double.
People across the United States use small-scale photovoltaic cells to
power their homes but the majority of large-scale productions are
located in states like Arizona and Nevada.
Our weather can both help and hurt production in regards to
energy depending on the source. Offshore drilling is hugely impacted
by hurricanes and with the increase in the number of hurricanes we are
seeing in recent years, this could become a bigger problem. With my
major in energy management, weather will be an important aspect to
the job regardless of what type of energy we are using at that time.

Work Cited

"The Impact of Extreme Weather on Offshore Production in the

Gulf of

Mexico." The Impact of Extreme Weather on Offshore

Production in the Gulf of Mexico. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.

Press, The Associated. "Collapsed Gulf Oil Platform Has Been
Leaking since

2004,

Investigation

Finds." NOLA.com. N.p., 16 Apr. 2015. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.

"Residential-Scale 30-Meter Wind Maps." WINDExchange:. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 28
Apr. 2016.
"Solar Industry Facts and Figures." SEIA. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr.

2016.
"U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent

Statistics and
Analysis." EIA. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.
"U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent
Statistics and

Analysis." Gulf of Mexico Fact Sheet. N.p., n.d.

Web. 28 Apr. 2016.

"Wind Energy Facts at a Glance." Wind Energy Facts at a Glance.
N.p., n.d.

Web. 28 Apr. 2016.