There’s a whole lot of methane in them thar seafloor. But is it good as gold or fool’s gold
Remember when shale gas was the next big thing? The game changer that would revolutionize the energy world, providing Americans with an abundant source of clean, environmentally friendly fuel?
Shale gas, undoubtedly, has turned out to be a big thing. Natural gas production has been steadily climbing since 2006, and natural gas prices are so low that gas is displacing dirty coal as the fuel of choice in our power plants.
But, with concerns over water pollution and air pollution from the process of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking) — and global warming impacts (conceivably as bad as or even worse than coal) from natural gas leakages from the extraction and piping of the fuel — the bona fides of shale gas as an environmentally friendly fuel has been pretty well tarnished.
Now a new source of natural gas threatens to take shale’s position as the ultimate energy game changer of our times: methane hydrates.
Methane Hydrates: A Veritable Gold Mine?
A methane hydrate is an ice-like cage of water molecules in which a molecule of methane is trapped. Methane hydrates form at low temperatures and high pressures like those found below water depths of about 500 meters off the coasts of continents, in seafloor sediments and in permafrost. (More here, here and here.)
And here’s the thing. Geologists estimate that there are enormous quantities of methane stored in the ocean bottom as hydrates. How much is enormous? Would about twice the amount of carbon that is found in all the other fossil fuels meet the enormous criteria? (See here, here and here.)
But having a huge resource of methane sitting on the ocean floor is one thing; being able to extract the stuff economically and bring it to the surface is another. Just look how long it took for the commercial shale gas boom to develop. Decades from the time the first well was fracked.
And as the Deepwater Horizon blowout and its ongoing ripple effects highlight, moving into new areas of energy extraction is no easy task and could be fraught with accidents waiting to happen. (An interesting aside: methane hydrates compounded the tricky business of trying to seal the Deepwater Horizon leak.)
So economics, technology and scientists’ relatively poor understanding of methane hydrates have seemingly conspired to keep the natural gas locked in these hydrates at bay … until just about now.
Move Over, Shale. Methane Hydrates’ Turn?
The Latest Bing News on:
Methane Hydrates
- Satellites can help find and stop methane leakson April 16, 2024 at 4:48 am
April 16 (UPI) --Far more methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is being released from landfills and oil and gas operations around the world than governments realized, recent airborne and satellite ...
- More climate-warming methane leaks into the atmosphere than ever gets reportedon April 15, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Far more methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is being released from landfills and oil and gas operations around the world than governments realized, recent airborne and satellite surveys show.
- Methane from landfills is detectable from space – and driving the climate crisison April 9, 2024 at 8:44 am
Landfill trash is the third-largest source of human-caused methane pollution in the US. To fight global heating, curb waste An elusive climate menace is now easier than ever to see. In early March ...
- Scientists retrieve rare methane hydrate samples for climate and energy studyon April 8, 2024 at 8:15 pm
A scientific drilling mission in the Gulf of Mexico has returned with 44 cores from a methane hydrate reservoir deep under the seafloor. Globally, energy-rich methane hydrates hold an estimated 15 ...
- Carbon dioxide, methane levels in the atmosphere hit record highs last yearon April 8, 2024 at 10:09 am
Scientists are also worried about the rapid rise in atmospheric levels of methane, a shorter-lived but more potent heat-trapping gas. Both jumped 5.5% over the past decade. READ MORE: EPA proposes ...
- Exploding craters and overflowing landfills are unexpected sources of methaneon April 2, 2024 at 4:59 pm
The craters that periodically appear in northern Siberia are thought to be linked to climate change (Credit: Getty Images) A new methane-monitoring satellite is turning a powerful eye on methane ...
- Column: South Texas can lead on methane reductionon March 28, 2024 at 10:44 pm
Relatedly, methane hydrate is a chemical compound that can be used as fuel more efficiently than pure methane and is made up of just methane and water, two highly abundant resources. Japan has ...
- A potent planet-warming gas is seeping out of US landfills at rates higher than previously thought, scientists sayon March 28, 2024 at 11:23 am
Garbage piling up in landfills isn’t just an eyesore, it’s also a climate nightmare, belching out large amounts of planet-warming methane gas. In the United States, the problem could be much ...
- ‘Garbage Lasagna’: Dumps Are a Big Driver of Warming, Study Sayson March 27, 2024 at 5:01 pm
Decades of buried trash is releasing methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, at higher rates than previously estimated, the researchers said. By Hiroko Tabuchi They’re vast expanses that can be as ...
- Column: South Texas can lead on methane reductionon March 26, 2024 at 5:00 pm
In the wake of COP28 and Texas environmentalists calling for substantial environmental action, the energy industry in Texas is looking for realistic ways to produce the energy we need more ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
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The Latest Bing News on:
Natural gas
- China's natural gas output rises in January-Marchon April 25, 2024 at 7:28 pm
China's natural gas output hit a record high in the first quarter of 2024, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed.This was reported by The ...
- U.S. Natural Gas Could Be A Big Winner of The AI Boomon April 25, 2024 at 3:00 pm
As electricity demand from data centers is set to jump to as much as 42 GW by 2030, from 11 GW now, the U.S. would need an additional 8.5 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas. Natural gas demand ...
- Natural gas business ‘incredibly difficult’ to operate under Biden: Toby Riceon April 25, 2024 at 11:06 am
CEO of EQT Toby Rice joins ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss the effect of President Biden’s green energy push on the natural gas industry.
- U.S. natural gas inventory net change of +92 Bcf for week ended April 19 - EIAon April 25, 2024 at 7:35 am
Stocks for the week ended April 19, 2024, were 2,425 Bcf vs. 2,333 Bcf for the week ended April 12, 2024. Net change: +92 Bcf vs. +50 Bcf for the week ended April 12, 2024. Consensus estimate for net ...
- Natural gas home explosions in Jackson: Residents voice concerns: 'Am I safe?'on April 25, 2024 at 7:05 am
Jackson residents gather to express their concerns at a public briefing regarding the January natural gas explosions and recent fires in the city.
- Natural Gas News: Analysts Predict Significant Inventory Build in EIA Reporton April 25, 2024 at 5:18 am
US natural gas futures remained steady early Thursday, following a significant decline in the previous session. This stability comes as the market anticipates the release of the U.S. Energy ...
- U.S. natural gas futures plunge nearly 9% on oversupplied marketon April 24, 2024 at 3:25 pm
U.S. natural gas futures fell Wednesday by the most since mid-January on prospects of an increase in already hefty excess storage and signs of ongoing issues at a major U.S. LNG export terminal. On ...
- LARRY KUDLOW: The Bidens are doing everything they can to stop liquified natural gas development and exportson April 23, 2024 at 4:10 pm
FOX Business host Larry Kudlow says if President Biden and his 'Green New Deal gang' are re-elected, the country could face 'massive electricity and other power shortages.' ...
- EQT cuts sales volume forecast, extends output curbs as natural gas prices stay lowon April 23, 2024 at 2:51 pm
EQT Corp cut its full-year sales volume outlook on Tuesday as natural gas producers look to curb production to combat falling gas prices.
- AI boom to fuel natural gas demand in coming years, report sayson April 23, 2024 at 11:28 am
A spike in power usage from artificial intelligence (AI) data centers could significantly boost natural gas demand in the second half of the decade, analysts at investment banker Tudor Pickering Holt ...
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