Natural Gas
Facts and Figures
- Natural gas power produced 19.1% of the U.S. electricity supply in 2005, and contributed to 13.5% of electricity generation carbon dioxide emissions (Energy Information Administration);
- A plant brought online in 2015, using today's technology without carbon capture, is expected to produce power for about 5.25 cents per kilowatt hour (Energy Information Administration).
Cost of Increased Use 2
Natural gas pipelines and markets are well established and largely scalable.
Environmental Impact 8
While cleaner than coal, natural gas is still a fossil fuel that generates greenhouse gas emissions.
National Security 6
Most imports come from Canadian pipelines to date, but increased imports will likely be from African and Middle Eastern countries.
Implementation 3
Domestic drilling has increased in recent years and infrastructure is established.
Political Toxicity 3
Natural gas, despite being a non-renewable fossil fuel, seems to enjoy some political status due to its smaller environmental impact compared to coal.
Pros of Use
- While imports still contribute to ~15% of U.S. natural gas use, there are reasonable supplies available domestically;
- Natural gas burns cleaner than coal, and plants can be utilized as demand dictates and otherwise sit idle;
- The markets and distribution infrastructure for natural gas are well established.
Cons of Use
- As the past few years have shown us, natural gas prices can be volatile;
- Natural gas is not a sustainable, renewable energy source, and while near term supplies are more certain than for oil, natural gas remains a limited resource in the long term;
- Natural gas, despite being cleaner than coal, still emits greenhouse gases that are responsible for global warming.
Barriers to Future Use
- While cleaner than coal, the environmental impacts of natural gas combustion are still troublesome;
- Increasingly, the U.S. will require imports of liquefied natural gas delivered on ocean liners, which requires the construction of new terminal infrastructure.
Most Important Fact
Natural gas burns cleaner than coal, but is still responsible for 13.5% of electricity generation carbon dioxide emissions.
Bottom Line
Natural gas will remain a cleaner power generation alternative to coal in the near term, and the availability of domestic supplies will make it an important part of a future national energy portfolio. However, the volatile price of natural gas has economic consequences, and greenhouse gas emissions as well as the threat of supply disruption will remain areas of concern.
