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Natural Gas and the Future of Energy

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Natural Gas and the Future of Energy
Patrick Meehan

Jeb Waldschmidt

ENGL 102-05

3-26-05

Natural Gas and the Future of Energy

Until recently natural gas was considered the dirty brother of oil. Natural gas was

often stranded and left undeveloped, often wasting it. Oftentimes natural gas was

considered ‘unusable ' and ‘worthless ' compared to oil. But now that the oil is running

out a new light is being shown on natural gas. Today natural gas is very much in favor as

a clean fossil fuel, especially for electricity generation in industrialized countries. "Global

proven gas reserves are 5501 TcM with around 60 years of production at current

utilization rates compared to 40 years for oil," writes Pradeep Kurup. According to the

latest numbers people could be using more gas than oil by 2030. According to Kurup,

"that means an even greater incremental growth in both gas supply and transportation

than the industry has seen up to date, with nearly 25% of all natural gas produced now

crossing an international border."

Natural gas is created from the anaerobic decay of organic material. You can find it in oil fields and natural gas fields and in most swampy or marshy areas. Natural gas is also generated by animals during digestion. Natural gas is primarily composed of methane which happens to be the lightest of the hydrocarbon molecules. The other components of natural gas consist of heavier hydrocarbon molecules such as ethane, butane, and propane. Hydrogen sulfide and mercury are common contaminants, which must be removed prior to most uses. Natural gas is emerging as the most important energy source for the future because it has an abundance of uses and is found almost anywhere. The abundant supply of natural gas makes it a fine candidate to replace oil as the dominating source of energy. A lot of people who freaked out when word about peak oil surfaced now can find comfort in natural gas. Most people probably don 't realize that


Cited: 1. Energy for the future - Hydrogen and Fuel Cell industry sets out its blueprint. European Commission. 3-17-05 http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/environment 2. Swank, J. Grant Jr. Rice: India Upgraded with US RE Future Powers. Mitch News.com. 3-28-05 http://www.michnews.com/artman/publish/article_7474.shtml 3. Kurup, Pradeep. Why Natural Gas 's the Future of Energy. Times Internet Network. 3-28-05 http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1062958.cms 4. The DaimlerChrysler Website: http://www.daimlerchrysler.com/dccom/0,,0-5-7179-1-460443-1-0-0-0-0-0-8-7165-0-0-0-0-0-0-0,00.html 5. Okoye, Sam Ejike. Cold Fusion, the Unlimited Energy Source: A Myth or Reality? Nigeria World. 3-27-05 http://nigeriaworld.com/articles/2005/mar/271.html
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