Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Natural gas discoveries and production, 1960-2006
Discoveries
Production
Source: International Energy Agency
Gas and the environment
The future of the extraction and supply of and demand for natural gas will
depend on a number of factors besides ease of access - the environment,
for one. The main component of natural gas, methane, is a more potent
greenhouse gas, with greater global warming potential, than carbon diox-
ide. But natural gas, or methane (CH
4
), has fewer carbon atoms than oil
or coal. So when burned as a fuel, natural gas emits 30 percent less CO
2
than oil and 45 percent less CO
2
than coal. It is therefore the most climate-
friendly of the fossil fuels.
Efficiency
Gas can be used with high efficiency in power generation with com-
bined cycle gas turbines (CCGTs). A gas turbine works via a mixture of
combusted gas and air, which expands and spins rotor blades to generate
electricity.
The other output of gas turbines has always been heat, which was a
wasted by-product. However, in CCGT technology, this heat isn't lost but
