Natural gas
Renewable energy
April, 2023
What is natural gas?
Natural gas is a naturally occurring mixture of gases, mainly methane. It is formed when layers of decomposing plant and animal matter are exposed to intense heat and pressure under the surface of the Earth over millions of years.
Where is it found?
Natural gas is found in rock formations, sometimes on its own and sometimes alongside oil. Some deposits are relatively easy to extract, while others are trapped kilometers beneath the Earth’s surface.
How is natural gas produced?
Natural gas is often found in huge reservoirs called sedimentary basins. To gain access to these reservoirs, a hole or well is drilled through the rock to allow the gas to escape and be collected. Natural gas is most commonly extracted by drilling vertically from the Earth’s surface.
What is fracking?
A technique known as hydraulic fracturing or fracking is used to break open rock and release natural gas. This involves pumping fluids into the well at high pressure. The fluids are made up of around 99% sand and water, with 1% chemicals added to help the gas flow more freely. Hydraulic fracturing typically takes place a kilometer or more (thousands of feet) below drinking water supplies. Concrete and steel barriers are inserted into the wells to prevent any drilling or fracturing fluids from entering local water supplies.
How is natural gas transported?
Natural gas can be transported by pipeline or ship to where it is needed. By using pipes, gas can be cost-effectively transported over long distances as part of an integrated gas transport network. If lined up together, the total length of the world’s natural gas pipelines would stretch to the moon and back eight times. When pipelines cannot cost-effectively reach consumers, natural gas can be cooled to make a liquid, shrinking its volume for shipping to where it is needed.
Why can’t we replace natural gas with renewables?
Despite the significant role of renewable energy sources, they cannot provide all the world’s energy needs today. Renewables mainly power electricity, which only meets around 18% of global energy demand. For renewables to have a bigger impact, electricity must play a larger role in other key sectors of the economy.
Natural gas can help to support renewables because it can quickly compensate for dips in solar or wind power supply and rapidly respond to sudden increases in demand. Natural gas is a good partner for hydropower, providing a secure electricity supply when there is limited rainfall.
What is the environmental impact of natural gas?
Natural gas is the cleanest-burning hydrocarbon. Natural gas emits between 45% and 55% lower greenhouse gas emissions than coal when used to generate electricity, according to IEA data. Compared to coal-fired power plants, modern natural gas-fired power plants emit less than one-tenth of the pollutants. However, natural gas consists mainly of methane, a potent greenhouse gas with a higher impact on global warming than carbon dioxide.
