You hear the term “natural gas” a lot. From news articles to buying houses, natural gas gets used a lot. What is natural gas, though? You probably know that it’s an energy source you consume, but what exactly is it? What do you use natural gas for? This article will highlight what natural gas is and what the top five uses it has in your life.
What is Natural Gas?
Natural gas is a fossil fuel formed from decomposed organic matter and found at the bottom of the seafloor. As it is exposed to high amounts of pressure and heat, it is broken down into hydrocarbons. Natural gas is the gaseous form of the hydrocarbons that are comprised of mostly methane.
Natural gas is usually extracted from pipelines and oil wells, though there are a few other forms of natural gas that are extracted differently. Once extracted, it is processed at processing plants. There, it goes through a block system that turns it into clean energy.
The Top Five Uses of Natural Gas
1. Electricity
Natural gas is quickly becoming the fossil fuel used to generate electricity. According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), electricity accounted for 36% of natural gas consumption in 2016.
It was found that natural gas is faster at firing up and turning down than coal is. For this reason, electric plants began using it during peak seasonal times, such as summer when many consumers use A/C. Now, with its ease of use and cheaper construction, natural gas has long surpassed the use of coal in generating electricity.
2. Heating Homes
The same goes for heating your home. Natural gas is cheaper and faster to use to heat homes than any other fossil fuel. Experts also found that natural gas can provide “cogeneration,” or heat and provide electricity at the same time. With this find, furnaces and meters run more efficiently while using natural gas. In 2016, EIA found that the residential sector accounted for 16% of natural gas consumption.
3. Commercial
The commercial sector, including government buildings, churches, shelters, etc., used natural gas to heat and power their facilities. Businesses use it to power their buildings and machines. Sewer and water treatment facilities use natural gas to run the machines.
4. Industrial
The industrial sector uses nearly as much natural gas as electricity does; almost 34% in 2016. Natural gas is used in this sector to power heat and electrical systems and produce raw materials such as hydrogen, fertilizer, and feedstock.
5. Transportation
Finally, transportation is last on the list. It may seem odd, but it is quickly becoming a reality that natural gas can be used as actual fuel. In fact, some public transportation uses compressed natural gas (CNG) to run more efficiently than on actual fuel. Hydrogen engines use natural gas since that is how hydrogen is produced. The very pipelines that produce and send natural gas to the plants use natural gas to do it.
