A Carnegie Mellon University study reports that the generation of electricity by burning Marcellus Shale gas instead of coal could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 to 50 percent.
More in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Uses of Natural Gas
Converting the Transportation Infrastructure to Natural Gas
In this Bloomberg video, Aubrey McClendon, CEO of Chesapeake Energy discusses the economics, logistics and potential of using natural gas as a transportation fuel. Current costs vary depending upon the source of gas but are generally equivalent to under $2.00 per gallon gasoline. Chesapeake plans to invest $1 billion to support natural gas as a vehicle fuel.
More at Bloomberg.com.
Colombia: A Model for Natural Gas Vehicle Market Development?
Chevron and Texaco are working to develop the natural gas vehicle fuel market in Colombia. Chevron produces the gas and Texaco sells it to consumers at TEXGAS brand fueling stations. “In the last six years, NGV consumption has grown more than 800 percent and now represents nearly 10 percent of Colombia’s national gas usage.” Perhaps ExxonMobile will start selling gas at hundreds of fueling stations atop of the Marcellus Shale gas play? More at Chevron.com.
Diesel and Jet Fuel from Shale Gas
An article on Bloomberg.com reports that Royal Dutch Shell is completing a gas-to-liquids plant in Qatar that will convert natural gas into diesel and aviation fuel. If that technology is successful they may be able to use the same process in the United States.
“Gas” Stations of the Future
One way to use a lot of the new natural gas being produced from the many worldwide shale gas plays is to quickly get it into the transportation fuel mix. Valero Energy is launching new fueling stations that will dispense natural gas, electric battery recharges and E85. More at FuelFix.com.
The Largest Fleet of LNG Trucks
Heckman Water Resources will become the operator of the largest fleet of LNG trucks in North America as they purchase 200 Peterbilt vehicles that will be used to haul water for Encana’s Haynesville Shale drilling operations. Encana will provide the LNG from a mobile refueling station. More in the Oil and Gas Journal.
More Pipeline Capacity Needed in the Northeast
“Through January of this winter, spot natural gas prices at Atlantic Coast trading points are up $0.90-1.20 per million British thermal units compared to the same period last winter – although prices are lower at Henry Hub and in other traditional consumption areas like the Midwest and western Pennsylvania. The main reason is congestion on pipelines into the Northeast.” Quoted from the EIA website.
Energy Use in the United States
The United States has a greater fuel diversity today than at any time in its history. There are also more options available for future growth, yet this is also a time of great concern about energy choices for the future. More at Geology.com.
Shaleblog and Geology.com are owned by Digital Map Store.
Is Congress Neglecting Natural Gas?
In a blog post on the Reuter’s.com website, Christopher Swann, argues that Washington could take easy steps to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil, reduce carbon emissions and save citizens money by promoting the use of natural gas in vehicles and electricity generation. He thinks that the natural gas lobby needs to work harder than those promoting coal and railroads.
Natural Gas Honda Civic
Honda plans to sell what they refer to as a “nearly emission-free natural gas-powered car” later this year. It will be a Civic sedan to be sold in all 50 states. More at ABC News.
Competition Between Coal and Natural Gas in the Marketplace
West Virginia has a wealth of energy resources. It has historically been a leading state for coal production and now much of northern West Virginia is over the Marcellus Shale natural gas field. An article in the Beckley Register-Herald titled “Will Natural Gas Replace Coal” explores how these two fuels might compete in the marketplace and how that competition might impact the West Virginia economy.
Shale Gas Presentation
This video provides an overview of shale gas, starting with the first gas well near Fredonia, New York in 1821 up through January 2010 and the major shale gas plays. The speaker is John Curtis, Professor of Geochemistry and Director of the Potential Gas Agency at the Colorado School of Mines.
How the United States Should Promote the Use of Natural Gas
LeadEnergy.com has published an “opinion piece” that explains – in great detail – how the United States should promote the use of natural gas. This is a rather biased piece of writing but it has a few interesting ideas.
Connecticut Gets First Fueling Station for LNG and CNG
Enviro Express Inc. will open one of the first retail fueling stations in the eastern United States to sell LNG (liquefied natural gas) and CNG (compressed natural gas). The station is along busy route I-95 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. More at ABC News.
Promoting Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles Act
The “Promoting Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles Act” is a proposed bill that will provide tax incentives to people who buy natural gas vehicles and research funds for improving hybrid vehicles. The bill has opposition from both environmental groups and some in the oil and gas industry. More at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Natural Gas Powered Laptops (Don’t Laugh)
Researchers at Harvard University are working towards a practical and affordable methane fuel cell.
“Fuel cells operate by converting chemical energy – from hydrogen or a hydrocarbon fuel such as methane – into an electric current.” Quoted from the Harvard press release.
Coal-Fired Power Plants Converting To Natural Gas
An article in the Energy and Environment pages of the New York Times explains how and why many coal-fired electric power plants are converting to natural gas.
Price War: Wind Energy vs Natural Gas
In early 2009 falling wind energy prices crossed an important barrier – they fell lower than the energy cost of natural gas. Since then gas prices have plummeted and wind energy is back to a disadvantage. More at SmartGrid.
China Has Adopted the “Pickens Plan”
In a CNBC essay, T. Boone Pickens says that the US Congress has not adopted his “Pickens Plan” – but China has adopted it. Pickens advocates using natural gas as a transportation fuel and expanding the use of solar and wind for power generation.
Use Natural Gas to Reduce Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Thanks to a number of shale gas plays in the United States the supply of natural gas is up and the price of natural gas is down. An article at Reuters.com reviews opportunities for natural gas to displace other fuels that emit more carbon dioxide when they are used.
Natural Gas Consumption Held Up Through Economic Downturn
The EIA Monthly Energy Review has a long-term chart of primary energy consumption. During the economic downturn of 2008-2009 the consumption of petroleum and coal fell significantly, however, the consumption of natural gas remained steady. Low natural gas prices and increased use of gas at electric power plants helped consumption remain steady.
Natural Gas Shifts Energy Economics
Low-cost natural gas from shale plays is moving electricity generation away from coal, delaying development of alternative energy, killing LNG import projects, launching LNG export projects, changing the geography of energy transport, demanding thousands of miles of new pipelines, motivating homeowners to install gas heat. More in an article on the StarTribune.com website.
Start Using Natural Gas
An article in TheAdvertiser.com preaches… “Now is the Time to Utilize Natural Gas”. It presents arguments based upon environment, economics, energy independence, national security and other elements
Natural Gas Price Trading Range is Tight
Natural gas prices are being held down by a glut in supply while prices are being supported on the low end by fuel switching. The result is a narrow trading range. More at Bloomberg.com.
Cheap Shale Gas Derailing Nuclear Power
Some people believed that nuclear power would get a huge boost as concerns about climate change overshadowed concerns about nuclear energy. However, the current low price of natural gas is pulling attention away from nuclear. More at Reuters.com.
Natural Gas Use in Vehicles is Growing
“Analysts sometimes present increased use of natural gas vehicles as an option to reduce the transportation sector’s dependence on oil and to lower greenhouse gas emissions. While use of natural gas as a transportation fuel has increased over the past several years, several challenges remain. According to EIA data, natural gas vehicles used 87 million cubic feet per day of natural gas in 2009. Consumption for vehicle use has increased about 270 percent since 1997 . Nonetheless, only 0.2 percent of the fuel used by all highway vehicles in 2008 was natural gas.” Quoted from the Energy Information Administration press release.
475 Compressed Natural Gas Buses for MTA?
The New York Metropolitan Transit Authority has a contract to purchase 135 heavy-duty transit buses with an option to purchase up to 340 more. All of these buses will run on compressed natural gas. More at treehugger.com. It’s great to see a large fleet of diesel vehicles converting to natural gas – maybe they will burn Marcellus Shale gas from Pennsylvania?
Demand for Gas Will Grow Twice as Fast as Demand for Oil
Peter Voser, CEO of Royal Dutch Shell, sees the demand for natural gas growing twice as fast as the demand for oil – motivated by potentially lower prices. Those same low prices might compete with the rapid development of renewable energy sources. More at GlobalLegbridge.
Coal vs Natural Gas Power Plants
James Rogers, CEO of Duke Energy Corporation, predicts that more utilities in the United States will build natural-gas-fired instead of coal-fired plants – if the price of gas remains stable. More at Bloomberg.com.
Marcellus Shale is Changing Business Models
Drillers are now starting fewer wells – but those wells are a lot more expensive. State revenues from natural gas drilling are increasing. Electric utilities are switching from coal to gas. An article at Herald-Dispatch explores these and more.
