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Natural Gas Power
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Natural gas, a fossil fuel consisting mainly of methane, is used to generate electricity. There are two approaches to generating electricity from natural gas: using a steam turbine or using a combustion turbine. By the first method, the natural gas is fired to create heat, which then converts water to steam. The steam turns the steam turbine, which generates electricity. The other, and more common, approach is to burn natural gas in a combustion turbine. Some electricity generation plants also use combined cycle technology, which uses both approaches. Firstly, gas is burned in a combustion turbine to generate electricity. The hot exhaust that is released heats water and creates steam, which turns a steam turbine and generates more electricity. This is the most efficient method.
Canada is the world's third largest producer of natural gas, yet it is not one of Canada's main electricity sources. In Ontario, however, it will play an increasingly large role in electricity generation. As Ontario phases out coal-fired electricity generation, natural gas will generate some of the electricity once produced by coal.
Natural gas releases far less greenhouse gas than coal, but we have to consider all its benefits and environmental impact.
Natural gas is cheap and abundant- Natural gas is abundant, available all over the world, and especially plentiful in Canada. Look at this CBC map to see where Canada's gas comes from.
- Because natural gas is abundant, it is cheap and this keeps costs down. As reserves of this non-renewable source become depleted, its price will rise, but for now it is economical.
It's a reliable electricity source
- Natural gas is a non-intermittent source of electricity, which makes it constant, reliable and able to meet user demands.
It produces less waste and pollution than coal does
- Very little solid waste is produced when extracting and refining natural gas or when electricity is generated.
- Compared to coal, it releases less GHG during electricity generation.
- Discharged water may contain harmful chemicals picked up by the water as it cycled through the natural gas-fired plant. But, unlike a coal-fired plant, there is little thermal discharge.
Building natural gas plants is quick and inexpensive
- Because of its relatively simple structure and technology, it's fast and easy to construct a natural gas-burning electricity generation plant.
Natural gas causes air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions
The amount of GHG released during electricity generation is much lower than that released by coal- or oil- fired plants, which accounts for natural gas's reputation as the "cleanest" fossil fuel. This can be a bit misleading, since it still releases GHGs harmful to human health and the environment.
There are GHG emissions associated with the entire production cycle of the fuel, from extraction to treatment and transportation.
Burning natural gas contributes to sulfur dioxide (which can lead to acid rain) and ground level ozone (a contributor of smog, which can cause serious respiratory damage). In addition, it releases particulate matter, which can also cause respiratory problems.
Extracting, refining, and transporting natural gas is environmentally destructive
- Extracting natural gas through drilling causes severe land and ocean destruction and contamination.
In Alberta, the oil and gas industry reportedly cuts down more trees and does more damage to natural habitats than does the Province's forestry industry (David Suzuki Foundation, 2009).
The extraction and refining of natural gas releases GHGs, other air pollutants, and water pollution.
Laying pipes for transporting natural gas can disrupt large, continuous natural habitats by breaking them up into smaller, unconnected areas. This is called habitat fragmentation.
Gas sometimes leaks from pipes, releasing methane and other dangerous substances.
Natural gas uses a lot of water and causes water pollution and thermal discharge
- Large amounts of water are needed to make steam and to cool natural gas plants that use a steam turbine. Natural gas plants that use a combustion turbine, on the other hand, use very little water.
- Water that has cycled through the plant to cool - becoming warmer in the process - is released back into the environment, altering the temperature of local waterways and harming or killing aquatic life. This is called thermal discharge.
Natural gas is non-renewable
- Natural gas took millions of years to form. Once its reserves are gone, that's it.
For more information:
Centre for Energy (2010). What is natural gas? Available here.
David Suzuki Foundation (2010). Natural Gas. Available here.
Natural Resources Canada (2010). Natural Gas. Available here.
U.S. Energy Information Administration. Energy Kids: Natural Gas. Available here.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2007). Electricity from Natural Gas. Available here.
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