It’s a Crime to Burn Natural Gas for Electricity Production

Another common myth out there is that natural gas is somehow more ‘carbon friendly’ than coal. Well, technically yes, but only if the natural gas is burned for the sake of cooking or heating a home where almost 100% of its energy is utilized. If used for power generation, natural gas offers little to no advantage over coal on a delivered megawatt basis. Natural gas does not burn nearly as hot as coal and produces less steam and energy at the power station. Thirty percent of heat from natural gas is lost due to the latent heat of vaporization during steam generation then another 30% is lost in electrical transmission. However, liquid transportation or pipeline distribution from natural gas sources to homes is extremely efficient. In sum, we lose 40% efficiency if we use natural gas to make electricity; therefore, natural gas burned for power is just as ‘dirty’ as coal.