Is Natural Gas Renewable Or Renewable?

The key difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources is that renewable resources can be replenished naturally over time, while nonrenewable resources take millions of years to form and exist in finite quantities (source). Renewable resources include things like solar, wind, geothermal, and hydro energy. Nonrenewable resources include fossil fuels like oil, natural gas, and coal.

There is debate over whether natural gas should be classified as renewable or nonrenewable. Natural gas is a fossil fuel formed over millions of years from decomposing organic matter. In that sense, it is nonrenewable. However, some argue that because a portion of natural gas comes from bio-sources like landfills and animal waste that replenish more quickly, it could be considered partially renewable. But most experts still categorize natural gas as a nonrenewable resource.

Natural Gas Overview

Natural gas is a fossil fuel formed deep beneath the earth’s surface over millions of years from decaying plants and animals. It is primarily composed of methane, but also contains other hydrocarbons like ethane, propane, and butane. The largest component of natural gas is methane, making up 70-90% of natural gas. Natural gas is extracted from conventional gas reservoirs as well as unconventional sources like shale gas.

Shale gas refers to natural gas trapped within shale formations. Hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling techniques have allowed increased production of natural gas from shale formations over the last decade. Fracking creates cracks and fissures in shale rock formations, allowing natural gas to be released and extracted. Major shale gas deposits are found across North America and in many other parts of the world.

Sources:

https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/natural-gas/

http://canada.chevron.com/our-businesses/kaybob-duvernay-program/natural-gas-from-shale

Arguments for Renewable

While natural gas is technically a fossil fuel, there are several reasons some argue it should be considered a renewable energy source:

Natural gas reserves can replenish over a human lifetime. New natural gas deposits are continually being discovered and extracted with improvements in drilling technology. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the world has enough recoverable natural gas to last over 50 years at current consumption rates [1]. This means natural gas supplies get replenished as old wells run dry and new ones come online.

Natural gas can also be produced sustainably from renewable sources like landfills, wastewater treatment plants, and farms through the anaerobic digestion of organic waste. This biogas or renewable natural gas (RNG) can be purified to pipeline-quality standards and directly injected into natural gas infrastructure and pipelines [2]. RNG and conventional natural gas are interchangeable, further blurring the line between fossil and renewable.

Unlike coal and oil which take millions of years to form, natural gas generation and accumulation can occur relatively quickly in geological terms. Natural gas deposits are produced from the anaerobic decomposition of organic matter deep underground. While not renewable in the short term, some argue natural gas production is rapid enough to consider the resource renewable within a human timescale.

Arguments Against Renewable

Natural gas is considered nonrenewable because it comes from finite underground reserves that cannot be replenished on a meaningful timescale. The primary arguments that natural gas is nonrenewable include the following:

– Limited supply. Natural gas reserves are finite and cannot regenerate themselves within reasonable human timeframes. Some project that current reserves could be depleted in less than 100 years at current consumption levels (Sovacool, Bjorn-Ola 2020). While new reservoir discoveries and technological advances may increase available supply in the short-term, natural gas cannot be considered a permanent resource like true renewables such as solar and wind. The finite nature of gas reserves makes them nonrenewable.

– Emits carbon dioxide. The combustion of natural gas produces significant carbon dioxide emissions – though less than coal or oil per unit of energy [1]. While natural gas may have climate benefits over other fossil fuels, CO2 and methane leaks still contribute to global warming and climate change. As countries aim for carbon neutrality, natural gas cannot provide a permanent climate solution. The ongoing carbon emissions make it nonrenewable.

– Extraction impacts. Extracting, transporting and burning natural gas has environmental impacts, including air and water pollution, disruption of land to construct wells and pipelines, and the risk of explosions [2]. While small compared to coal mining, the resource extraction required is another factor limiting the renewable nature of natural gas long-term.

– Fossil fuel resource. Natural gas was formed through the decomposition of buried organic materials over millions of years. As an ancient fossil fuel, it cannot be renewed or regenerated in a short timeframe, making it fundamentally nonrenewable.

[1] https://www.inspirecleanenergy.com/blog/clean-energy-101/is-natural-gas-renewable

[2] https://group.met.com/en/media/energy-insight/is-natural-gas-a-renewable

Timescale Considerations

The renewability of natural gas depends heavily on the timescale considered. According to GreenBiz, over a 20-year timescale, methane has a global warming potential 84-86 times greater than carbon dioxide. This is because methane is a much more potent greenhouse gas in the near-term. However, methane breaks down in the atmosphere faster than CO2, so over a 100 year timescale, it has a global warming potential of only 28-36 times greater.

This means that if evaluating natural gas’s renewability over the next few decades, the leakage and release of methane during extraction and transmission is highly concerning from a climate perspective. However, if taking a very long-term view, natural gas appears more renewable since any methane released will break down faster than CO2 would. The appropriate timescale to use depends on climate goals and targets being considered.

Environmental Impacts

On the positive side, burning natural gas emits between 45 and 55 percent less carbon dioxide (CO2) than burning coal or oil to produce the same amount of energy. This makes natural gas a lower-emissions alternative for generating electricity, heating buildings, producing industrial heat and steam, and fueling vehicles.

However, natural gas is mostly composed of methane, which is itself a potent greenhouse gas, 34 times stronger than CO2 at trapping heat over a 100-year period. Extracting and transporting natural gas results in leakage of methane into the atmosphere. Studies show that leaking more than 3 percent of natural gas’s methane content can make its climate impact worse than coal. Controlling methane leakage throughout the natural gas supply chain is crucial.

Based on Natural gas environmental impact: problems and benefits, newer natural gas power plants can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 50 percent compared to coal plants. But natural gas production and transportation still causes air and water pollution, including smog, particulate matter, and toxic chemicals linked to health problems. While an improvement over coal, natural gas is not truly clean energy.

Energy Security

Natural gas plays a significant role in energy security and independence for many nations. The ability to access domestic natural gas reserves enhances a country’s energy self-sufficiency and reduces reliance on imported fuels.¹ For instance, the shale gas boom in the United States has allowed it to dramatically increase domestic natural gas production over the past decade. This shale gas revolution has strengthened America’s energy security by decreasing its dependence on foreign oil and gas imports.²

Furthermore, natural gas can be easier to obtain than oil since it can be sourced domestically through pipelines. The plentiful supply and existing transportation infrastructure for natural gas in North America supports energy independence for the US and Canada.² For nations lacking domestic fossil fuel reserves, importing natural gas via LNG (liquefied natural gas) tankers provides greater supply diversity and resilience versus relying solely on pipeline gas or other energy sources. Overall, natural gas enhances energy security by providing a relatively abundant, affordable, and domestic energy supply for many countries around the world.

Uses

Natural gas has a wide variety of uses in homes, businesses, industries and vehicles. Some of the major uses of natural gas include:

Electricity Generation – Natural gas is used to generate electricity. It fires the boilers that create steam to spin turbines which produce electricity. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, natural gas fueled 38% of U.S. electricity generation in 2019.

Heating – Both residential and commercial buildings use natural gas for space heating and water heating. Over half of U.S. homes use natural gas for heating.

Cooking – Natural gas is commonly used for cooking appliances like stoves, ovens and ranges in homes and restaurants.

Industrial Uses – Industries use natural gas for heat to produce goods like glass, steel, cement, bricks, ceramic, paper and food. It is also used as a raw material for fertilizers, plastics, paints and other products.

Transportation – An increasing number of vehicles like buses, taxis and delivery trucks are fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG). Natural gas emits less pollution compared to gasoline or diesel.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the three biggest uses of natural gas are electricity generation (38%), industrial uses (31%) and residential and commercial uses like heating (17%). It plays a major role in the U.S. energy mix.

Future Outlook

The future of natural gas is expected to grow over the next few decades. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Annual Energy Outlook 2021, natural gas demand is projected to increase from 2020 through 2050 across all scenarios examined.¹ This growth will be driven by increased use of natural gas for electricity generation as coal plants retire and the expansion of LNG export facilities. The EIA projects that natural gas will remain the dominant energy source for electricity generation through 2050.

Additionally, the use of renewable natural gas (RNG) is expected to increase. RNG is produced from biomass sources like landfills, animal waste, and wastewater treatment plants. The American Gas Foundation estimates that RNG could provide over 25% of national gas supplies by 2040.² The development of RNG will allow the natural gas infrastructure to participate in renewable energy generation.

While long-term projections foresee natural gas demand increasing, factors like environmental regulations, energy efficiency improvements, and competition from renewables create some uncertainty around the scale of growth. Nevertheless, natural gas is expected to continue playing a major role in the global energy mix for decades to come.

¹ https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/aeo/pdf/05-AEO2021_Electricity.pdf

² https://www.sapphiregassolutions.com/blog/liquid-natural-gas/the-liquid-natural-gas-future-outlook/

Conclusion

In summary, there are reasonable arguments for classifying natural gas as either renewable or nonrenewable. On one hand, natural gas is continuously formed underground through natural processes, supporting the case for renewable. However, natural gas deposits are finite and take millions of years to regenerate, favoring nonrenewable. From an environmental perspective, natural gas burns cleaner than oil and coal but still produces greenhouse gases. On balance, most experts consider natural gas to be nonrenewable, since practically speaking, current consumption far outpaces the extremely slow rate of natural gas formation. While reserves may last for decades or centuries longer, natural gas is clearly not replenished nearly as fast as traditional renewable resources like solar, wind, and hydropower. However, natural gas will likely play an important transitional role as we shift to a more renewable energy system this century. With prudent management of reserves and continued improvements in extraction technology and efficiency, natural gas can be part of the solution to building a sustainable energy future.