U.S. Natural Gas Use Rises as U.S. CO2 Emissions Drop

Oil & Natural Gas / Gas Shales / Related Environmental Issues / Environmental Impact

Dr. Conca reports that although renewables are increasing, natural gas burning is increasing even more. And will continue to grow faster than all other sources in the U.S. and Europe. But this may be a double-edged sword. On the plus side ... 1. natural gas currently is cheap, but the price is expected to increase only slowly over the next two decades, barely a dollar per million British Thermal Units (MMBtu) over that time. 2. the carbon emissions are half those of coal (fugitive emissions from gas wells and pipelines notwithstanding). 3. it is a lot cleaner than coal containing particulate Hg, As, sulfur, etc., plus the coal ash dumps. 4. outages are rare and most gas systems work when the electricity is out. 5. gas appliances, like dryers and furnaces, generally use less total energy than electric ones. 6. gas (like nuclear power) is necessary to back-up most utility-scale renewable sources like wind farms and solar arrays. 7. the gas industry supports almost 3 million jobs in the U.S. 8. huge domestic natural gas reserves, more than anyone in the world, and enough for several hundred years. But on the minus side ... 1. gas is still a fossil fuel that contributes CH4, etc to the atmosphere, including large volumes from fugitive emissions from gas wells, pipelines, and underground natural gas storage, e.g., Porter Ranch in Calif. 2. gas can explode causing deaths, given the right mixture of oxygen, plus a spark ... railroads, pipelines. 3. it requires an extensive network of pipelines. Overall, the pluses really outweigh the minuses, which is why gas is growing so rapidly. The U.S. power plant of choice is fueled by natural gas. The most significant impact is on greenhouse gas emissions, as above. But emissions in U.S. have dropped to a 27-year low, mostly as a result of gas replacing coal, plus significant gains in efficiency. Over the past ten years, electricity from coal has decreased by 25% and electricity from gas has increased about 35%.

Original URL: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2016/02/04/u-s-natural-gas-rises-as-americas-co2-emissions-drop/#186186b266b4