Here are some fun and interesting facts about natural gas, courtesy of Spectra Energy. Some of them might surprise you!
Fueled by natural gas This city bus runs on clean burning, low emission producing natural gas.
» Natural gas arrived in the home during the first century A.D. in Persia. It seeped from the ground and was ignited by lightning, producing an 'eternal flame' that burned day and night. Seeking to take advantage of this continuous heating source - and since pipelines wouldn't come around until the 1800's - the king of Persia built his royal kitchen next to it.
» Besides being a heating fuel, natural gas has other cool uses ... like chilling the glycol used to produce ice for hockey and skating rinks.
» Many NFL teams tackle cold weather by warming their fields using tubes heated with natural gas. This lets the turf grow in the winter.
» Museums use natural gas-fueled equipment to help maintain the proper humidity for the conservation of art, fabrics and historic papers.
» If all the natural gas pipelines in the U.S. were connected to each other they would stretch to and from the moon almost three times.
» Did you know that increased shale gas activity is expected to generate at least $37 billion in government revenues by 2020 and $57 billion by 2035? (IHS Global Insight) These types of revenues can help fund many items, such as road construction and provide other services.
» Rembrandt Peale, a famous portrait painter, founded the first natural gas utility in Baltimore in 1816 after using natural gas as an energy source to light an exhibit at his museum and gallery.
» William Hart dug the first natural gas well in the U.S. outside Fredonia, New York, in 1821. The well was about 27 feet deep compared to today's wells which can run more than 30,000 feet deep.
» The Philadelphia Zoo uses natural gas to cool a greenhouse for a rare bird and one of the most endangered species in the world, the Micronesian Kingfisher.
» Every hour on the hour in the evenings, a volcano erupts in front of the MGM Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. It's fueled by pina colada-scented natural gas.
» Slightly more than half of the homes in the United States use natural gas as their main heating fuel.
» We depend on natural gas to go about our daily lives. More than half the homes in the U.S. are heated by natural gas. And did you know it's used to manufacture items such as paper, fertilizer, brick, photo film, even medicine.
» Natural gas in its pure form is colorless and odorless. Utility companies add the smell of rotten eggs - a product called mercaptan - to make natural gas detectable.
» There are approximately four million Americans employed either directly or indirectly by the natural gas industry - America's 'Blue Jobs.'
» Did you take out the trash this morning? If so, thank natural gas, which is used to help manufacture trash bags.
» A study from America's Natural Gas Alliance reveals that if natural gas was an actual U.S. state, it would rank 12th in gross domestic product - just behind Virginia.
» There are more than 120,000 natural gas vehicles on American roads, as many companies and municipalities are deploying fleets of natural-gas powered vehicles to reduce emissions.
» Did you know that North America has more natural gas than Saudi Arabia has oil? As a nation, we must continue our focus on safely and responsibly developing this clean-burning, sustainable and versatile energy resource.
» Natural gas complements renewable technologies such as wind and power, providing the necessary low-emission backup generation.
» Natural gas is efficient. About 90 percent of the gas produced is delivered to customers as usable energy. Greater efficiency means fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
» Pipelines make new gas supplies accessible. In fact, according to the Energy Information Administration, there are 300,000 miles of intrastate and interstate natural gas transmission pipelines in the United States.
» North America reaps huge benefits from domestically abundant natural gas. In fact, proved domestic reserves are their highest in 40 years and domestic production is the strongest since 1974, according to the American Gas Association.
» Storage facilities help meet large and immediate natural gas demands. In fact, from November to March, consumers get 15-to-20 percent of their natural gas from stored gas, according to the American Gas Association.
» Besides being a heating fuel, natural gas has other cool uses ... like chilling the glycol used to produce ice for hockey and skating rinks.
» Many NFL teams tackle cold weather by warming their fields using tubes heated with natural gas. This lets the turf grow in the winter.
» Museums use natural gas-fueled equipment to help maintain the proper humidity for the conservation of art, fabrics and historic papers.
» If all the natural gas pipelines in the U.S. were connected to each other they would stretch to and from the moon almost three times.
» Did you know that increased shale gas activity is expected to generate at least $37 billion in government revenues by 2020 and $57 billion by 2035? (IHS Global Insight) These types of revenues can help fund many items, such as road construction and provide other services.
» Rembrandt Peale, a famous portrait painter, founded the first natural gas utility in Baltimore in 1816 after using natural gas as an energy source to light an exhibit at his museum and gallery.
» William Hart dug the first natural gas well in the U.S. outside Fredonia, New York, in 1821. The well was about 27 feet deep compared to today's wells which can run more than 30,000 feet deep.
» The Philadelphia Zoo uses natural gas to cool a greenhouse for a rare bird and one of the most endangered species in the world, the Micronesian Kingfisher.
» Every hour on the hour in the evenings, a volcano erupts in front of the MGM Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. It's fueled by pina colada-scented natural gas.
» Slightly more than half of the homes in the United States use natural gas as their main heating fuel.
» We depend on natural gas to go about our daily lives. More than half the homes in the U.S. are heated by natural gas. And did you know it's used to manufacture items such as paper, fertilizer, brick, photo film, even medicine.
» Natural gas in its pure form is colorless and odorless. Utility companies add the smell of rotten eggs - a product called mercaptan - to make natural gas detectable.
» There are approximately four million Americans employed either directly or indirectly by the natural gas industry - America's 'Blue Jobs.'
» Did you take out the trash this morning? If so, thank natural gas, which is used to help manufacture trash bags.
» A study from America's Natural Gas Alliance reveals that if natural gas was an actual U.S. state, it would rank 12th in gross domestic product - just behind Virginia.
» There are more than 120,000 natural gas vehicles on American roads, as many companies and municipalities are deploying fleets of natural-gas powered vehicles to reduce emissions.
» Did you know that North America has more natural gas than Saudi Arabia has oil? As a nation, we must continue our focus on safely and responsibly developing this clean-burning, sustainable and versatile energy resource.
» Natural gas complements renewable technologies such as wind and power, providing the necessary low-emission backup generation.
» Natural gas is efficient. About 90 percent of the gas produced is delivered to customers as usable energy. Greater efficiency means fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
» Pipelines make new gas supplies accessible. In fact, according to the Energy Information Administration, there are 300,000 miles of intrastate and interstate natural gas transmission pipelines in the United States.
» North America reaps huge benefits from domestically abundant natural gas. In fact, proved domestic reserves are their highest in 40 years and domestic production is the strongest since 1974, according to the American Gas Association.
» Storage facilities help meet large and immediate natural gas demands. In fact, from November to March, consumers get 15-to-20 percent of their natural gas from stored gas, according to the American Gas Association.
A professional gas range, built for a chef (or professional home cook!) » It's dinner time! A national survey shows that 80 percent of Canadian executive chefs prefer cooking with natural gas, according to the Canadian Gas Association. Chefs cited the speed and the outstanding quality of natural gas as the top two reasons they prefer cooking with natural gas.
» When used to generate electricity natural gas burns cleaner than other fuel sources, with less pollutants and no mercury. This means cleaner air in our communities.
» Between 2005 and 2010, natural gas companies contributed, on average, more than $4.4 billion per year in gas royalty payments to the federal government. (Source: IHS Global Insight, 2010)
» Natural gas development creates jobs. Did you know that more than 600,000 Americans are directly employed by natural gas development? (Source: IHS Global Insight, 2010)
» Did you know that to provide 1,000 households with electricity for one year, only .3 acres is needed to operate an electric generation facility powered by natural gas? In fact, the land requirements are significantly less than a facility operated by solar or wind, which require 6 acres.
» Did you know that in a single year the average U.S. home uses 665,720 U.S. gallons of natural gas? (Source: The Natural Gas Supply Association)
» Who uses the most natural gas? Power generators, which provide electricity to homes and businesses. In fact, it's estimated that more than 80 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) of natural gas will be needed for power generation by the year 2030. To put this into perspective, 80 bcf/d of natural gas could power at least 400 million homes.
» Did you know that a modest increase in natural gas supply from shale deposits would generate more than 400,000 new jobs in the United States, more than $132 billion in U.S. economic output and $4.4 billion in new annual tax revenues? (Source: BlueJobs.org)
» Did you know that storing natural gas not only helps mitigate disruptions to service, it also helps reduce price volatility and manage weather-induced demand spikes?
Thanks to Spectra energy for these interesting, and little known facts about natural gas. We've even learned some!
» Between 2005 and 2010, natural gas companies contributed, on average, more than $4.4 billion per year in gas royalty payments to the federal government. (Source: IHS Global Insight, 2010)
» Natural gas development creates jobs. Did you know that more than 600,000 Americans are directly employed by natural gas development? (Source: IHS Global Insight, 2010)
» Did you know that to provide 1,000 households with electricity for one year, only .3 acres is needed to operate an electric generation facility powered by natural gas? In fact, the land requirements are significantly less than a facility operated by solar or wind, which require 6 acres.
» Did you know that in a single year the average U.S. home uses 665,720 U.S. gallons of natural gas? (Source: The Natural Gas Supply Association)
» Who uses the most natural gas? Power generators, which provide electricity to homes and businesses. In fact, it's estimated that more than 80 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) of natural gas will be needed for power generation by the year 2030. To put this into perspective, 80 bcf/d of natural gas could power at least 400 million homes.
» Did you know that a modest increase in natural gas supply from shale deposits would generate more than 400,000 new jobs in the United States, more than $132 billion in U.S. economic output and $4.4 billion in new annual tax revenues? (Source: BlueJobs.org)
» Did you know that storing natural gas not only helps mitigate disruptions to service, it also helps reduce price volatility and manage weather-induced demand spikes?
Thanks to Spectra energy for these interesting, and little known facts about natural gas. We've even learned some!
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