Our daily lives are powered by electricity, but where does it come from? Electricity is used every single day: turning on a light, plugging in a or heating food in the microwave.
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The demand for electricity in the United States peaks in both the summer and winter months, driven by the need to keep cool in the summer and warm in the winter. This past winter, electricity generation from natural gas reached a record-high 619 billion kilowatt-hours (BkWh) over 5 months. That's enough to power 147 million homes throughout the winter months.
Last year, the U.S. relied on natural gas to generate more electricity than any other energy source. Gas-fired power generation accounted for 40% of U.S. utility-scale electricity followed by coal at 20%, nuclear at 18%, with most of the remaining share coming from renewables. Wind generation met 10% of U.S. power demand with hydropower and solar contributing 6% and 3%, respectively.
Here's how natural gas is converted to electricity:
Step 1: Extraction
Natural gas is collected from under the Earth's surface. Pipelines gather the natural gas from multiple wells to a central point where it is treated to remove water or waste products, such as helium and carbon dioxide. The processed gas, also known as methane, moves through transmission pipelines to utilities, including power plants.
Step 2: Conversion
The power plants begin the conversion process by using a boiler, combustion turbine or both. When using a boiler, water is boiled creating steam that spins a turbine and generates electricity. When using a combustion turbine, pressurized gas turns the blades of a turbine connected to a generator. Magnets spin inside the generator creating an electric current. These methods can be used independently or together.
In a combined cycle system, the energy created by one turbine generates more energy in another turbine. After one engine completes a conversion cycle, the heat exhaust is transferred through a heat exchanger. A second engine extracts energy from the heat to begin its own conversion cycle. This creates 50-60% more overall efficiency compared to just one engine.
Step 3: Power
After the electricity is created, it is sent through power lines for residential, commercial, industrial and transportation use.
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Natural gas is also a great partner to renewables, including solar and wind power, because when the wind isn't blowing or the sun isn't shining, natural gas is right there to provide power generation for peoples' homes.
To learn more, see these sources:
U.S. Energy Information Administration ' EIA ' Independent Statistics and Analysis
Natural Gas Fuel Basics
Natural gas is an odorless, gaseous mixture of hydrocarbons'predominantly made up of methane (CH4). It accounts for about 30% of the energy used in the United States. About 40% of the fuel goes to electric power production and the remainder is split between residential and commercial uses, such as heating and cooking, and industrial uses. Although natural gas is a proven, reliable alternative fuel that has long been used to power natural gas vehicles, only about two-tenths of 1% is used for transportation fuel.
The vast majority of natural gas in the United States is considered a fossil fuel because it is made from sources formed over millions of years by the action of heat and pressure on organic materials. Alternatively, renewable natural gas (RNG), also known as biomethane, is a pipeline-quality vehicle fuel. It is produced by purifying biogas, which is generated through anaerobic digestion of organic materials'such as waste from landfills and livestock'or through thermochemical processes, such as gasification. RNG qualifies as an advanced biofuel under the Renewable Fuel Standard.
Because RNG is chemically identical to fossil-derived conventional natural gas, it can use the existing natural gas distribution system and must be compressed or liquefied for use in vehicles.
CNG and LNG as Alternative Transportation Fuels
Two forms of natural gas are currently used in vehicles: compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG). Both are domestically produced, relatively low priced, and commercially available. Considered alternative fuels under the Energy Policy Act of , CNG and LNG are sold in units of gasoline or diesel gallon equivalents (GGEs or DGEs) based on the energy content of a gallon of gasoline or diesel fuel.
Compressed Natural Gas
CNG is produced by compressing natural gas to less than 1% of its volume at standard atmospheric pressure. To provide adequate driving range, CNG is stored onboard a vehicle in a compressed gaseous state at a pressure of up to 3,600 pounds per square inch.
CNG is used in light-, medium-, and heavy-duty applications. A CNG-powered vehicle gets about the same fuel economy as a conventional gasoline vehicle on a GGE basis. One GGE equals about 5.66 pounds of CNG.
Liquefied Natural Gas
LNG is natural gas in its liquid form. LNG is produced by purifying natural gas and super-cooling it to -260°F to turn it into a liquid. During the process known as liquefaction, natural gas is cooled below its boiling point, removing most of the extraneous compounds found in the fuel. The remaining natural gas is primarily methane with small amounts of other hydrocarbons.
Because of LNG's relatively high production cost, as well as the need to store it in expensive cryogenic tanks, the fuel's use in commercial applications has been limited. LNG must be kept at cold temperatures and is stored in double-walled, vacuum-insulated pressure vessels. LNG is suitable for trucks that require longer ranges because liquid is denser than gas and, therefore, more energy can be stored by volume. LNG is typically used in medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. One GGE equals about 1.5 gallons of LNG.
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