In Canadian homes, natural gas has come to be the most popularly-used energy source for residents. There are many great benefits and uses of natural gas that make it hard not to consider it as an energy source. It is an important part of the energy mix that the country has to offer. More than six million residents are already taking advantage of the benefits natural gas offers for cooling, heating and lighting their homes. They also put it to use for cooking their food, heating their water and even running their dryers.
Currently, natural gas accounts for more than 13% of the energy generation in the country. The main reason for this is that it can be delivered to consumers affordably and quickly. It can be a great addition to other types of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. For most consumers, the Alberta natural gas prices allow them to save a significant amount on their energy costs while still getting the same level of quality and reliability as other costly energy sources. Overall, natural gas can mean homeowners save money on cooking food, fueling vehicles and heating and cooling their homes. For businesses, the money saved on affordable energy from natural gas can allow them to afford other business expenses such as expansion. According to a report by CGA, many homeowners save more than $2,000 on their energy bills by using natural gas over electricity, heating oil and propane. The consumption of natural gas in Canada is only second to motor vehicle fuels. The consumption is significantly higher than electricity, however. It offers many benefits to the economy due to natural gas absorbing only around nine percent of the total budget the country has for energy spending. This means huge savings and value to all of the residents. It is a vital energy source and one of the more affordable in Canada's energy mix.
Image Source: wkiglobal.com
Many trucking companies with heavy-duty fleets are making the switch to natural gas for fueling their buses and trucks. This will help them save on fuel costs and help reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions up to 19%. In the industrial sector, the use of natural gas is used extensively for heating and as the feedstock for numerous industrial processes in the industry of petrochemicals.
Another fast-growing use of natural gas is to generate electric power. Power plants use natural gas to generate electricity. It is created using gas turbines similar to jet engines to create energy from the fuel combustions derived from the hot exhaust gases. Gas turbines with single-cycle chambers often convert the heat energy created by the combustion reaction into electricity with up to 40% efficiency. To obtain higher efficiencies, the plants need to use combustion gas to drive the turbine. Next, the hot exhaust from it will be used to boil water until it turns to steam. That steam is then used to drive the steam turbine.
Natural gas power plants are currently one of the more affordable to construct. In years past, they were more expensive to operate than coal-fired plants because the fuel used to be more expensive. Now that the cost of natural gas has gone down significantly over the years, plants can achieve greater operational flexibility than those powered by coal. Essentially, the main reason for this is that natural gas plants can be easily and quickly fired up and then turned down. Originally, this benefit was used during peak times when the demand for electricity was too high to meet, such as during the warmer months when many homeowners are looking to cool their homes. As you can see, there are many great reasons more homeowners and business owners should switch to using natural gas as their go-to energy source.
Image Source: www.altagasutilities.com