Natural+Gas

= Energy Source: Natural Gas = toc

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What is it?
media type="file" key="n1.mp3" width="240" height="20" Don’t get natural gas confused with gasoline! **Gasoline** (the stuff you put in your car) is actually a liquid, not a gas. Natural gas really is a gas that is buried deep inside the earth. Natural gas is a **fossil fuel** -- something that formed over millions of years from the remains of dead plants and animals. As the dead plants were buried underground, the energy stored in them was buried, too. And how do plants get their energy? That’s right, from sunlight! So if you think about it, the energy we get from natural gas can actually be followed all the way back to the sun.

Fossil fuels are **non-renewable resources** because it takes so long to replace them. Right now, our society is using fossil fuels much quicker than they can be replaced in nature. Some people say that we should stop using natural gas so much so that there is some left for the people of the future, but others say that we should use what we have now and learn to use new kinds of energy only when we really have to. What do you think?

How does it work?
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== ==  Some natural gas is found underground on land, but a lot of it is under the ocean floor. To reach it, scientists first study the rocks to find a good place to drill. Then they drill deep down into the ground (or ocean floor) to get to the gas. They send the gas up through pipelines and then on to be cleaned at a processing plant like the one in the picture on the right. If they cool the gas down enough (like -260 degrees!), it changes from a gas to a liquid and takes up a lot less space! This liquefied natural gas is stored in large tanks, like the ones in the picture on the left. Then before we can use it for energy, it has to be heated back up to change from a liquid to a gas form.

How is it used today?
media type="file" key="n3.mp3" width="240" height="20" Over half of the homes in the United States use natural gas to heat their homes. Sometimes air conditioners use natural gas, too. Natural gas can also be used to produce electricity, and it is even used to make paints and plastics work better! You might have used natural gas to light a grill for a barbecue, too.

What are the advantages?
media type="file" key="n4.mp3" width="240" height="20" Natural gas is cleaner to burn than most other fossil fuels, so it is better for the environment than coal or oil. Another good thing is that we have also learned how to use it safely – natural gas leaks can cause explosions, but we have learned to add something to the gas so that it stinks like rotten eggs. This way, people can smell the gas leak and get away before anyone is hurt.

What are the disadvantages?
media type="file" key="n5.mp3" width="240" height="20" Even though natural gas is cleaner than coal and oil, it is still bad for the environment. When it is burned, it produces greenhouse gases that cause **global warming**. Also, there is always a risk that the gas will leak and cause an explosion. Most importantly, we will run out of natural gas someday if we keep using it the way we do today. What will we do then?

Is there a solution for using natural gas in the future?
media type="file" key="n6.mp3" width="240" height="20" What do you think? Should we keep using natural gas the way we do today? Should we stop using it altogether? Or is there another solution out there?

Bibliography

©2008 E. Crispino