Natural... Gas...

[CDarwin]

I hope someone gets that joke.

 

Anyway, natural gas was featured rather favorably in an interview by Fareed Zakaria in this week's Newsweek, as some of you may have read. According to Robert A. Hefner III, a natural gas tycoon, natural gas promises to be the bridge between oil-based energy and the hydrogen future. He refers to some rather shocking facts, such as the fact that in the US natural gas can't be used for power production, apparently as a result of lobbying by the oil industry, despite being cleaner than coal and oil and supposedly still abundant, with "1,500 to 2000 trillion cubic feet" or "70 to 100 years."

 

Does anyone have any opinions on the potential of natural gas? It seems promising, if anything Hefner said was true. Too bad it doesn't have a lobby.

[waitforufo]

He refers to some rather shocking facts, such as the fact that in the US natural gas can't be used for power production, apparently as a result of lobbying by the oil industry, despite being cleaner than coal and oil and supposedly still abundant, with "1,500 to 2000 trillion cubic feet" or "70 to 100 years."

 

My understanding is that natural gas turbines are the most popular form of new electric power generation in the US today. This is primarily due to their low emissions. Low emissions mean that the power company can more easily pass environmental impact requirements. Several such power plants have been built in my local area in the last decade.

 

You might want to do a simple Google search on “natural gas turbines electric power generation.” Doing such a search, I found the following links.

 

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_turbine>

<http://www.eere.energy.gov/de/pdfs/gas_turbines_doe_perspective.pdf>

 

I hesitate in promoting natural gas for electrical power generation however. As power companies have built more gas turbine plants the cost of natural gas has gone up. I heat my home and cook my food with natural gas. If you want to make heat, I think it is best to burn natural gas on site.

[1veedo]

and supposedly still abundant, with "1,500 to 2000 trillion cubic feet" or "70 to 100 years."

Maybe globally but in many areas of the planet natural gas is locally running out. Eg the US for example.

 

I assume you can ship it like oil but conventionally natural gas has been sent through pipe lines. There's a proposal to build a pipeline from siberia to Alaska cause siberia has a lot of natural gas.

I hope someone gets that joke.

What joke?

[CDarwin]

Maybe globally but in many areas of the planet natural gas is locally running out. Eg the US for example.[/Quote]

 

That 70-100 years is supposed to be domestic US supply, according to the gas fellow.

 

I assume you can ship it like oil but conventionally natural gas has been sent through pipe lines. There's a proposal to build a pipeline from siberia to Alaska cause siberia has a lot of natural gas.

 

That's what Gazprom does to bring Europe practically its entire supply of natural gas from the Caspian.

 

What joke?

 

The joke in the title. It's a reference to a commercial.