Natural Gas
Natural gas is colorless, odorless fossil fuel gas that is prized for its cleanliness and its many uses - including energy. It is produced in much the same way as oil, and in fact is often produced in conjunction with oil.
Natural gas is a principal component of modern chemistry and, as such, plays a central role in our quality of life. It is an essential material in such products as propane, paints, fertilizer, plastics, antifreeze, dyes and medicines.
Courtesy USCG PA3 Donnie Brzuska
As one of the most versatile building blocks of our way of life, it is consumed by industry as both an energy source and a basic feedstock. Families and businesses depend on it for heating and cooling. It has increasingly been viewed as a dependable and clean transportation fuel, powering urban mass transportation systems reliably and safely. It also holds great promise as a reliable source of hydrogen. Few Americans go a day without its use in some form or fashion.
American Supplies
The most environmentally-friendly of the fossil fuels, natural gas provides about 23 percent of our total energy supply and approximately 16 percent of the fuel used to generate electricity.
Currently, US proven natural gas reserves are 204 trillion cubic feet, though experts believe North America is blessed with huge natural gas supply potential. In 2005, production of natural gas in the US was 18.2 trillion cubic feet (tcf) while demand was 21.9 tcf.
As demand for this energy source has been greater than domestic production, the US has been importing natural gas, principally from Canada via pipelines. We have also begun importing liquid natural gas (LNG) which is transported by ship from overseas. Importing LNG requires special port facilities that can receive the gas that has been condensed using extremely cold temperatures – lower than -260 degrees Fahrenheit.
Many existing natural gas pipelines in North America are close to reaching capacity, raising the possibility of shortages as demand continues to grow. Domestic production of natural gas is expected to increase by 1.3 percent in 2007, while demand is expected to increase by 4.6 percent, according to the US Energy Information Agency.
Printable Natural Gas Charts:
In the U.S. we get our energy from a variety of sources. Fossil fuels account for the vast majority.
| ENERGY SOURCE | PERCENT OF U.S. SUPPLY |
|---|---|
| Fossil Fuels | 84.8% |
| - Coal | 22.6% |
| - Natural Gas | 22.4% |
| - Oil | 39.8% |
| Nuclear | 8.2% |
| Renewables | 6.8% |
| - Hydropower | 2.9% |
| - Biomass | 3.3% |
| - Geothermal | 0.3% |
| - Wind | 0.3% |
| - Solar | 0.07% |