Natural Gas . . . the fossil fuel we should use.

Natural Gas is the one fossil fuel we should be utilizing more of.

Natural gas is believed by many to be the most important energy source for the future. The abundance of natural gas, worldwide as well as domestically, coupled with its environmental soundness and multiple applications across all sectors, means that natural gas will continue to play an increasingly important role in meeting demand for energy in the United States.

Here are some great reasons to utilize natural gas over oil and coal.

Domestically abundant

The 2007 report of the Potential Gas Committee of the Colorado School of Mines determined that in 2006 the U.S. had a natural gas resource base of 1,525 Trillion cubic feet of natural in the U.S. (about an 82 year supply).   This is what is recoverable in the USA today with current methods, that is economically feasible (cheap).

It is likely that the next report of the Potential Gas Committee will find that we now have much more natural gas because of the relatively recent perfection of drilling technologies that will allow the production of huge quantities of U.S. natural gas from shale.

But even gas from shale may be a drop in the bucket compared to the staggering quantities of frozen natural gas that are in and around the United States.   This is regular natural gas that is frozen because it is under pressure in the waters of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.   This frozen natural gas is called methane hydrates we currently do not have the technologies in place to produce this natural gas from Ocean Floor.

However, methane hydrates are also found in Alaska and northern Canada beneath the permafrost.   Recently experimental wells have been drilled and some natural gas from methane hydrates have been produced with today’s technologies.

When you look at natural gas from methane hydrates, the numbers are staggering. It has often been said that the energy from the methane hydrates in the U.S. vastly exceed the energy found in all the coal, oil and conventional natural gas in the U.S. combined. One estimate of U.S. methane hydrates is 200,000 Trillion cubic feet – close to 9,000 years of supply at current U.S. consumption levels.

Electric Power Generation

Natural gas fired electric generation, and natural gas powered industrial applications, offer a variety of environmental benefits and environmentally friendly uses, including:

• Fewer Emissions – combustion of natural gas, used in the generation of electricity, industrial boilers, and other applications, emits lower levels of NO_x, CO₂, and particulate emissions, and virtually no SO₂ and mercury emissions. Natural gas can be used in place of, or in addition to, other fossil fuels, including coal, oil, or petroleum coke, which emit significantly higher levels of these pollutants.

• Reduced Sludge – coal fired power plants and industrial boilers that use scrubbers to reduce SO₂ emissions levels generate thousands of tons of harmful sludge. Combustion of natural gas emits extremely low levels of SO₂, eliminating the need for scrubbers, and reducing the amounts of sludge associated with power plants and industrial processes.

• Re burning – This process involves injecting natural gas into coal or oil fired boilers. The addition of natural gas to the fuel mix can result in NO_x emission reductions of 50 to 70 percent, and SO₂ emission reductions of 20 to 25 percent.

• Co generation – the production and use of both heat and electricity can increase the energy efficiency of electric generation systems and industrial boilers, which translates to requiring the combustion of less fuel and the emission of fewer pollutants. Natural gas is the preferred choice for new cogeneration applications.

• Combined Cycle Generation – Combined cycle generation units generate electricity and capture normally wasted heat energy, using it to generate more electricity. Like cogeneration applications, this increases energy efficiency, uses less fuel, and thus produces fewer emissions. Natural gas fired combined cycle generation units can be up to 60 percent energy efficient, whereas coal and oil generation units are typically only 30 to 35 percent efficient.

• Fuel Cells – Natural gas fuel cell technologies are in development for the generation of electricity. Fuel cells are sophisticated devices that use hydrogen to generate electricity, much like a battery. No emissions are involved in the generation of electricity from fuel cells, and natural gas, being a hydrogen rich source of fuel, can be used. Although still under development, widespread use of fuel cells could in the future significantly reduce the emissions associated with the generation of electricity.

Essentially, electric generation and industrial applications that require energy, particularly for heating, use the combustion of fossil fuels for that energy. Because of its clean burning nature, the use of natural gas wherever possible, either in conjunction with other fossil fuels, or instead of them, can help to reduce the emission of harmful pollutants.

Transportation Industry

According to the EPA, compared to traditional vehicles, vehicles operating on compressed natural gas have reductions in carbon monoxide emissions of 90 to 97 percent, and reductions in carbon dioxide emissions of 25 percent. Nitrogen oxide emissions can be reduced by 35 to 60 percent, and other non-methane hydrocarbon emissions could be reduced by as much as 50 to 75 percent. In addition, because of the relatively simple makeup of natural gas in comparison to traditional vehicle fuels, there are fewer toxic and carcinogenic emissions from natural gas vehicles, and virtually no particulate emissions.

Summary

Natural gas should be the next fossil fuel America should be using.   We can reduce our dependence on other countries oil, and start to become self reliant.

Currently the price of one BTU of natural gas is almost 20 times cheaper than one BTU of oil.   At this rate is is a win / win for both the pocket book and the environment.

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