The OurEnergyLibrary aggregates and indexes publicly available fact sheets, journal articles, reports, studies, and other publications on U.S. energy topics. It is updated every week to include the most recent energy resources from academia, government, industry, non-profits, think tanks, and trade associations. Suggest a resource by emailing us at info@ourenergypolicy.org.
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This work reports direct measurements of methane emissions at 190 onshore natural gas sites in the United States. The measurements indicate that well completion emissions are lower than previously estimated; the data also show emissions from pneumatic controllers and equipment leaks are higher than Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) national emission projections. Estimates of total emissions are similar to the most recent EPA national inventory of methane emissions from natural gas production. These measurements will help inform policymakers, researchers, and industry, providing information about some of the sources of methane emissions from the production of natural gas, and will better inform… View Full Resource
This report focuses on potential approaches that Europe might employ to diversify its sources of natural gas supply, Russia’s role in Europe’s natural gas policies, and key factors that could hinder efforts to develop alternative suppliers of natural gas. The report assesses the potential suppliers of natural gas to Europe and the short- to medium-term hurdles needed to be overcome for those suppliers to be credible, long-term providers of natural gas to Europe. The report looks at North Africa, potentially the most realistic supply alternative in the near term, but notes that the region will have to resolve its current …
View Full ResourceThe tremendous growth of unconventional oil production in North Dakota has also led to a rapid rise in the production of associated natural gas. However, state authorities report that a large percentage of this gas does not ultimately go to market. Nearly 30 percent of North Dakota gas is currently being burned off, or flared, each month as a byproduct of oil production.…
View Full ResourceRecent technological advances have unleashed a boom in U.S. natural gas production, with expanded supplies and substantially lower prices projected well into the future. Because combusting natural gas yields fewer greenhouse gas emissions than coal or petroleum, the expanded use of natural gas offers significant opportunities to help address global climate change. The substitution of gas for coal in the power sector, for example, has contributed to a recent decline in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Natural gas, however, is not carbon-free. Apart from the emissions released by its combustion, natural gas is composed primarily of methane (CH 4), a potent …
View Full ResourceThe recent dramatic increase of natural gas supply in the United States and Canada thanks to the booming shale industry has resulted in the discussion of a public policy to support and subsidize the production of ethanol from natural gas (EFNG). The EFNG industry and its supporters have offered this “chemically synthesized” ethanol as a possible substitute for corn ethanol and the yet–to-be produced “cellulosic” ethanol, arguing that EFNG is both green and does not take away from the food supply.
In summary, producing ethanol from natural gas is expensive, emits significant amounts of additional carbon dioxide, and is wasteful …
View Full ResourceNew rules by the International Maritime Organization and the U.S. EPA have created limitations on the sulfur emissions for the marine industry and changed the economics of LNG as a marine fuel. Compared to other emissions compliance options, LNG is an economically viable option for some vessels. Over time the lower operating costs (fuel and emissions compliance) can pay for the large capital investment in an LNG conversion project or new build LNG powered vessel. Tote Inc., an early adopter of LNG fuel in their marine operations has shared their insight into their decision to convert two large (Ro/Ro) containerships …
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The rapid replacement of coal by cheaper and cleaner natural gas has helped drive emissions down in the United States more than in any other country in the world in recent years. Cheap natural gas is crushing domestic demand for coal and is the main reason for the rapid decline in US carbon emissions. The gas revolution offers a way for the United States and other nations to replace coal burning while accelerating the transition to zero-carbon energy.
In the United States, coal-powered electricity went from 50 to 37 percent of the generation mix between 2007 and 2012, with the …
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The United States power sector is being transformed by the recent rise in the availability and use of unconventional natural gas, specifically shale gas. That transformation has already produced some of the most significant changes in the operation of the portfolio of electricity generation since WWII. Further implications are likely. To that end, we present results from numerical modeling of different United States (U.S.) power sector futures. These futures assess questions affecting today’s natural gas and electric power markets, including the impacts of: forthcoming EPA rules on power plants, decarbonization options such as a clean energy standard (CES), potential improvements …
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Natural gas is on the rise. Whereas just a few short years ago, energy companies were investing in terminals to import natural gas, major technological advances have turned a shortfall into a windfall. Domestic output is up and expected to increase over the next 30 years; technically recoverable resources amount to 2,543 trillion cubic feet (tcf), more than a century of supply at current consumption rates. Of the 24 million cubic feet of natural gas consumed in 2011, 95 percent was produced domestically. Production is anticipated to increase 44 percent by 2040 driven almost entirely by dramatic gains in unconventional …
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