Linc Energy Blog

The current political environment encourages that we enter a new age and explore alternative fuels to energize our future.

"Is it a fact -- or have I dreamt it -- that, by means of electricity, the world of matter has
become a great nerve, vibrating thousands of miles in a breathless point of time?"
--Nathaniel Hawthorne

I’ve spent the majority of my professional life selling products to the Natural Gas Industry. There is no secret that I’m committed to natural gas. It is also no secret that as fossil fuels are depleted we have a responsibility to explore safe ways to extract fuels from hard to get places, but also we need to investigate alternative fuels. This is one of the reasons our warehouse and headquarters are energy efficient with sustainable solar power.

The more I looked into alternative fuel, the more confused I became by all the terms commonly used. In my earlier post, Diversification: Renewable and nonrenewable energy  I explained that renewable energy can be replenished in a short period of time. Additionally, renewable energy does not pollute or harm the environment when used. Energy generated from wind power, solar power, hydroelectric power, tidal power, geothermal power and wave power are excellent examples of renewable energy.

Nonrenewable energy is limited and requires millions of years to produce. Fossil fuels like oil, natural gas and coal, are nonrenewable. This type of energy does harm the environment at varying degrees with natural gas producing considerably less carbon dioxide than coal or oil.

Alternative fuel is a designation to describe fuels that are not considered conventional (or nonrenewable). In other words any fuel that is nonconventional, like renewable fuels would be an alternative fuel.

All renewable energy is considered sustainable energy, but not all sustainable energy is renewable. To be considered sustainable, it must meet our current needs and when used it can’t compromise the needs of future generations. Examples of these would be plant material (biomass), wind power, solar power, wave power, tidal power and geothermal power.

While some consider nuclear energy to be sustainable, others argue that the risks associated with the use of this energy, such as accidents and terrorism, strip fission power from this designation.

Another term that seems to be popping up is green energy. Green energy or green power is a label for energy sources which are non-polluting and combat future global warming.

We have entered the age of alternatives. In subsequent posts I will discuss the pros and cons of various sustainable energies, including solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal energy, tidal energy, wave power and others.
 

 

Tags: natural gas, fossil fuel, alternative energy, nonrenewable energy, renewable energy, biomass, hydropower, geothermal, wind, solar, coal or uranium, shale extraction, hydraulic fracking, alternatives, gas extraction, wind power, currents, green, carbon neutral, wind turbine, renewables, alternative energy, nonrenewable energy, renewable energy, sustainable energy, green energy, green power, wind power, solar power, wave power, tidal power and geothermal power, nuclear energy, fission power, fossil fuels, oil, natural gas, coal

Let’s face it, the exploration and extraction of fossil fuels have been receiving its fair share of bad press lately. While some situations may warrant it, sometimes it’s difficult for people to remember the good things that have emerged from fossil fuels. For this reason, I thought it was a good time to remind us of the industry’s past and its accomplishments.

Energy and persistence conquer all things.
Benjamin Franklin

As early as 1821 we have been drilling for natural gas. In Fredonia, New York, William Hart dug a 27’ deep well. He excavated by hand using shovels to intentionally obtain natural gas. To create a pipeline, he hollowed out logs and sealed them using tar and rags, then transported the gas to light lamps at stores, shops and a mill.

During the 19th century natural gas was used primarily as fuel lamps, but because of the absence of pipelines the fuel was mostly limited to city streets. In the latter half of the century, most cities began replacing their street lamps with electricity and natural gas producers started seeking new ways to market the fuel.

It was Robert Bunsen who brought to light (pun intended) a new application for natural gas. When Bunsen mixed air with natural gas he created the “Bunsen burner,” and a new way to warm structures and cook foods was revealed.

Of course, pipelines were needed to bring the fuel to new markets and the first major line (120 miles) was built in 1891, but it was cost prohibitive and few were built following that, until after WWII. Improvements in welding and pipeline construction were discovered during the war effort, and these breakthroughs became instrumental in making pipelines affordable. So, in the 1950s and 1960s, thousands of miles of pipelines were built.

After WWII, natural gas became the preferred energy source and was incorporated in the housing boom construction at that time. Today, over half the U.S. homes are heated by natural gas. Additionally, natural gas is used to make electricity, is a feedstock in the manufacture of chemicals, fertilizers and plastics, and propels trucks, buses and cars.

In the 1970s natural gas supplies seemed to be dwindling and we entered the energy crisis. We were encouraged by oil embargoes to use other efficient measures to conserve energy, like insulating our homes.

Traditionally, natural gas comes from “permeable sand deposits.” To simplify, getting natural gas from a conventional source would be like drilling a hole, then allowing the gas to escape. In the 1980s, when our easy sources for natural gas started disappearing, drillers set out to recover gas from those unconventional or more challenging deposits which contain tight-gas sands. Using processes we had been using for years to stimulating oil and gas wells, methods like hydraulic fracking and horizontal drilling were adapted to explore these alternative sources.

It has taken years to learn how to extract gas from varying mediums like shale, coal, or tight gas sands. Obviously, we’re still learning, and will continue to do so. As these technologies are scrutinized are because of the recent Marcellus Shale incident, let’s remember where we’ve come from. In one century we’ve gone from lamp lights to heating more than half the U.S. homes. We’ve gone from building a 120 mile pipeline to having a network of pipelines that are hundreds of thousands of miles.

Apparently even the ancient gods of Mesopotamia had issues extracting natural gas. It is speculated that the ancient eternal fires were caused when natural gas escaped from the earth and was ignited by lightening. While we still have more to learn about extracting natural gas, taking safety precautions certainly should be our top priority, but you have to admit, we’ve come a long way from the eternal fires and lamp lights, wouldn’t you say?
 

Tags: Robert Bunsen, pipelines, gas extraction, William Hart, horizontal drilling, fracing, hydraulic fracking, fracturing, drilling, Marcellus Shale, alternative energy, fossil fuel, energy, natural gas