Natural gas! What is it going to take for us to wake up?

Question

I received many great answers to my previous question on Natural gas but I think that some responders missed my point. I propose Natural gas only as an interum solution that will end or reduce our dependence on Middle-east foreign oil and would be a cheaper fuel for Americans. It is a fossil fuel and is a limited supply but is much more plentyfull than petroleum. It is a much cleaner burning fuel while not pollution free. I agree that electric power will be much better when we have found a solution to the battery disposal problem. The distibution problem can be solve if we have the will, you can now buy propane gas for your grill at many gas stations and grocery stores. As one responder noted and is right, we are resistant to changes. So what is it going to take $10 a gallon gasoline, more conflicts in the middle-east, more dead people?

Answer 1

I don't think it's even a good short-term solution.  As I noted in your previous question, the natural gas Civic is no more environmentally friendly or cost-effective than the hybrid Civic or Prius.  Moreover, the lack of infrastructure can't be solved on a short-term basis.

Electric vehicle technology is advancing rapidly, and the necessary infrastructure is already in place.  EVs and plug-ins will be a viable alternative sooner than natural gas could be, and a more environmentally friendly and efficient one as well.

Answer 2

See T. Boone Pickins proposal to build a $15 Billion wind-farm which will replace 38% of imported fuels.  The natural gas now used to generate electricity would be used to power vehicles.

Answer 3

There's more to electric than battery disposal, there's also the issue of how we get the electricity. Burning fossil fuels or garbage are bad for the air, solar takes up a huge land area and has other issues, turbines kill birds, dams ruin ecosystems and economies or archaeological sites and homes, tidal destroys sensitive intercoastal zones, geothermal isn't available everywhere, nuclear is dangerous, and that's all I can think of. We need to alter how we do things as well as the energy we use.

Answer 4

The international prices of natural gas are closely correlated to those of oil with the exception of the recent increase in oil prices brought by speculation, spike in demand for liquid fuels, etc...

http://www.athena-energy.com/image/large...

* It is indeed a much cleaner fuel and on top of that emits only half of the greenhouse gases oil does and by far less than coal.

* Natural gas can be used to produce electricity with a high efficiency (60%) and/or at a low capital cost ($500/kWh installed). Moreover the production level can be steered fast and this is why it is used to produce the electricity to cover peak power demand (when everybody has the lights on at the same time for christmas). The low pollution makes it easy and fast to get a permit for a power generation unit.

=> for these reasons it is the favorite fuel to produce electricity (and not to favourite car fuel).

FYI: Electricity like hydrogen is not a "solution" to the energy crisis. These are only energy carriers and need to be produced first using a source of primary energy.

Also natural gas is not that pentiful. Conventional reserves are estimated to be 70 years. With China and  India consuming more and other nations having an increased interest in natural gas, prices will continue to increase (here again the price is set internationally and no single nation apart from Russia can substancially influence prices). At the same time as we consume natural gas more quickly, the estimated 70 years of reserves will decrease.

Answer 5

If you personally want to do an end run, buy a natural gas vehicle. They exist NOW, and you can have something that doesn't cost much to fill up ($10 in Utah), and burns way, way cleaner than gasoline. You could have one and start saving loads of money tomorrow instead of hoping the government catches on and helps you out in some other way, "someday". That's what I did. Got sick of paying for gasoline and found natural gas vehicles and bought two of them. So, it won't last forever...I'm using it now and enjoying it while it's available. I'll deal with the next alternative fuel later on down the line. I guess you're right; more dead soldiers and $10 a gallon gasoline might light the fire under someone's rear end, but personally, I'm not waiting around for it to happen. Do your own thing and beat the system as much as you can! Good luck!