Natural gas has become widely used since 1950s mainly for power generation, heating, and for processes like fertilizer production. As most would remember, the Greeks and Native Americans who discovered “burning air” leaks from ground have used it like around Mount Olympus, too. But the transmission, distribution, storage, liquefaction and shipping for use in a distance took many years. Why? Because there were alternatives, because technology was not there yet, because it was expensive, because people started digging for oil only recently, when they untapped the potential use of side product methane which was seen as trouble at first, and because they had not realized the benefits of using it and disadvantages of using alternatives.
Benefits of natural gas, as we use it today, can be summarized as:
- Natural gas produces significantly less greenhouse gas emissions compared to other fossil fuels like coal and oil.
- Burning natural gas produces lower levels of pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter, which improves air quality, besides other emissions advantages. In and around urban areas using natural gas solves big pollution and health problems consequently.
- Natural is a reliable source of energy as it is widely available thanks to transmission, distribution, storage technologies.
- Natural gas reduces dependence on foreign oil, coal et. imports and enhances energy security in geographies it is domestically produced, especially if a country has big reserves close to demand centers.
- Natural gas is often less expensive than other fossil fuels like oil, LPG, propane etc. making it an affordable option for heating and energy generation.
- Natural gas is available 24/7 thanks to very simple infrastructure and can provide consistent energy supply, making it a reliable source of energy for heating, cooking, process use and power generation.
- Natural gas logistics is not as complicated as some other liquid, solid and dirty fuels, which also cause pollution even before they are consumed, during handling.
- The by-products of natural gas exploration like propane butane and ethane have found room for themselves in the energy mix, either in or around the area natural gas is produced.
- Natural gas fired power plants are one of the most flexible types of sources of electricity. Especially when the sun does not shine and/or the wind does not blow, natural gas generators can be turned of to provide the electricity the system and the consumers need in a very short response time. Coal, nuclear, oil fired generators which have enough capacity to henadle big load changes cannot load follow, cannot respond as quickly as the system requires or it costs a lot to turn on and off these systems, which the owners would not prefer.
- Due to this flexibility natural gas can be used in tandem with intermittent renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power, helping to stabilize the electricity grid and promote greater use of renewable energy. Simple rule of thumb known since 2010s is 1 MW of renewables will require 1 MW of natural gas fired power generation.
- Natural gas can be compressed, liquefied and even be adsorbed to be transported in different modes, solving technology, distance, storage area etc. issues. Underground storages, small scale LNG plants solve many peaking and maintenance related interruption issues.
I believe the future is still very bright for the natural gas industry.
- For heating and cooking at homes, it will continue to be used as the infrastructure is already there and an all-electric home future is as far as an all-electric car future.
- For power generation, it will continue to be the primary source of energy for developed countries who can afford it as we still have a long way to go with replacing coal fired power generation.
- For industrial processes alternatives will take decades to replace natural gas.
Natural gas was almost always there, was known, was used, and helped civilization reach today and will be around for a long time both as a primary source of energy and as the best tandem coach for renewables, until we find a really good way of electricity storage. The best thing to do is to produce, transport, store and use it wisely, like we should be mindful of handling other energy sources.