The cleanest fossil fuel available, natural gas is comprised of hydrogen trapped within sedimentary rock. It has a long history of many uses and is a reliably safe and efficient source of power. Here are three facts about natural gas.
- Uses
Natural gas has been used for two centuries, and its first uses — cooking, lighting and heating — are still important today. In the modern world, you can cook with natural gas in your oven, stovetop or grill. You can power boilers, radiators and space heaters or use a natural gas fireplace instead of a wood-burning hearth. You can even utilize natural gas to heat water in your home. Natural gas is quite common in the business sector, too, as it is used to heat office buildings and power appliances, tools and computer systems.
- Cost
Natural gas is a quite affordable form of energy. It especially provides a savings advantage in terms of heating homes. The low cost of domestically-produced natural gas stems from its abundance and new technologies that increase availability. Further technological advancements should ensure the availability of natural gas for years to come and keep domestic prices relatively stable, meaning that a gas company Maryland should be able to about the same price for natural gas as a company in Arizona.
- Reliability
While not as green as clean energy sources like water and sunlight, natural gas is the cleanest of the fossil fuels available, and it can compete with greener energy due to its reliability. Whereas sunlight, water and wind all have physical and weather-related conditions that may hamper energy production, natural gas has none of these production barriers. Natural gas should be capable of picking up the slack of reduced use of other fossil fuels without disrupting any economic, industrial or energy-related growth in the country.
Natural gas is a vital energy resource because of its abundance, versatility, efficiency and reliability.
