Tag: natural gas

The National Energy Policy Institute performed a case study on what it would take for the trucking industry to convert to natural gas heavy trucks.  The societal benefits from choosing natural gas over oil are evident, but are they enough for companies to make the capital investment and risks? The study outlines the economic and […]

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A WCTA White Paper: J. Thomas Ranken, Washington Clean Technology Alliance, May 2012. See part 1 here. What is Natural Gas? Natural gas is a fossil fuel in gaseous form.  It is not renewable, but relative to other fossil fuels, natural gas is cleaner and can be more efficient.  It has lower carbon intensity, emitting […]

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A WCTA White Paper: J. Thomas Ranken, Washington Clean Technology Alliance, May 2012. See part 1 here. …So Prices are Dropping This dramatic increase in natural gas supply has put great pressure on prices.  In early 2011, John Deutch of MIT noted that “In the United States today, oil is three times as costly as […]

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A WCTA White Paper: J. Thomas Ranken, Washington Clean Technology Alliance, May 2012.  See part 1 here. Natural Gas Supplies are Up Dramatically The statistics are intriguing.  From 1990 to 2010, global proved reserves of natural gas have increased by 49%.  From 2000 to 2010, they increased by 21%.[1]  The International Energy Agency (IEA) has […]

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The Washington state ferry system is exploring using liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a way to save money on fuel prices.  Ferry system officials are proposing to alter six ferries from diesel to natural gas, the Kitsap Sun reported.  Staten Island Ferries and Quebec Ferries Company have also begun changes to natural gas. “We don’t […]

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There has been a lot news and thought recently about the changing role of natural gas in the US.  This has been generated by the advent of two new technologies (fracking and horizontal drilling) that have created access to vast new supplies that were previously thought to be too expensive to extract. There are legitimate […]

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A WCTA White Paper: J. Thomas Ranken, Washington Clean Technology Alliance, April 2012.   Is natural gas the new next big thing?  It is being called a revolution in energy and a” game-changer.”  Pulitzer-Prize winning energy researcher Dr. Daniel Yergin claims that “By the beginning of this decade, the rapidity and sheer scale of the […]

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Source:  Dina Cappiello, Seattle Times, April 19, 2012. The EPA has announced national standards to control air pollution from hydraulic fracturing (fracking).  Officials said that the regulations would not slow natural gas production. “By ensuring the capture of gases that were previously released to pollute our air and threaten our climate, these updated standards will […]

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Source:  Emily Parkhurst, TechFlash, April 3, 2012. Nathan Myhrvold of Intellectual Ventures commented at a Pacific Science Center breakfast about hydraulic fracturing (fracking), a technique becoming commonly used to extract natural gas. Myhrvold said the energy industry needs an innovative miracle.  “In some technologies, you never really break even,” he said. “One of those is […]

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Is natural gas the next big thing?  Experts call gas revolutionary and a game-changer.  Pulitzer-Prize winner energy researcher Dr. Daniel Yergin claims that “by the beginning of this decade, the rapidity and sheer scale of the shale breakthrough and its effects on markets qualified it as the most significant innovation in energy so far since […]

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