Low- and no-carbon future starts with natural gas
The fossil fuel is the surprising catalyst for a sustainable power supply.
By WP BrandStudio
The EPA recently reported that total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions dropped 2.7 percent from 2016 to 2017, reaching their lowest level since 1992.
What’s driving this welcome trend, according to the EPA, is the “substitution from coal to natural gas consumption in the electric power sector.” Natural gas production has surged in recent years, and its price has plummeted. So utility companies have switched to natural gas, which emits approximately 50 percent less carbon dioxide than coal.
Rather than getting a bad rap, natural gas should be viewed as a powerful tool to reduce emissions—while improving air quality. Natural gas can help increase the use of renewable energy like wind and solar because it offers a low-cost backup capacity that’s critical for the power grid.
In the present environment, reliability issues impede the growth of renewable energy. Solar farms and windmills only produce electricity intermittently, and can’t ramp up output to meet fluctuating demand or be relied on to provide a constant amount of power.
While demand for wind and solar has increased steadily over the last decade, the two renewables accounted for just 8 percent of America’s electricity generation in 2017.
Natural gas offers a solution to the reliability problem. Gas-fired plants are necessary to provide “baseload” power for a continuous, uninterrupted flow of electricity, as well as the “peak” load needed to meet unexpected demand surges. The ability to quickly ramp up or scale down output from these natural gas-fired peaking plants makes them a required complement to renewables in times of fluctuating demand.
Texas offers an example. This year, the Lone Star State is slated for the first time to generate more electricity from wind than coal. The widespread adoption of wind power wouldn’t have been possible without natural-gas peaking stations that kick into gear when the wind is relatively weak.
As a Texas-based academic recently wrote, it is precisely “because natural gas plants can be turned on and ramp faster than coal-fired facilities” that “Texas is well-poised to continue increasing its share of variable renewable generation.”
The partnership between natural gas and renewable energy is a global phenomenon. A study of 26 countries by the National Bureau of Economic Research found a strong relationship between the viability of renewables and gas-powered backup supply. “All other things equal, a one percent increase in the share of fast reacting fossil technologies is associated with a 0.88 percent increase in renewable generation capacity in the long term,” the study said.
Some environmentalists recognize that natural gas aids, rather than obstructs, their efforts to reduce emissions. “We need to use everything we have to get to low carbon,” said Obama’s former energy secretary. “Are we really going to handle it with wind, solar and batteries? I don’t think so, to be honest.”
Natural gas is an economical, environmentally friendly complement to renewable energy. The sooner green activists realize that, the more effective they’ll be at continuing to slash emissions.
Wayne Winegarden, Ph.D., is a senior fellow in business & economics at the Pacific Research Institute, as well as the principal of Capitol Economic Advisors and a contributing editor for EconoSTATS.
Learn more about how natural gas and oil are helping to deliver a sustainable fuel mix.
