Everyhing in our houses can be run by electricity, from heating to hot water and cooktops. That makes me think natural gas can only be useful to produce electricity in gas power plants.
Electricity higher efficiency and lower leaking or dispersion, suggests a win-win situation.
There are municipalities in my area that have started mandating electical appliances in new buildings. I think gas lines are on their way out. My guess is that it will be 50 years before they are all gone in cities in the US.
I found this page, but not sure if it’s true data or just fake numbers to better sell their product, they say natural gas for home is increasing in the US.
Oh, I completely believe those figures. I just think it is the beginning of the end for new additions. Heat pumps and induction cooktops are viable alternatives to gas and governments are starting to react. My prediction is that we’ll hit peak new gas in the next decade and it will tail off after that. Might just be wishful thinking though.
This page from the eia.gov website shows that consuption of nat. gas in the residential sphere has remained relavitely constant. https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/natural-gas/use-of-natural-gas.php
Of course its fully possible for both an increase in new homes with gas, and for the usage to remain constant.
Problem is, if the grid goes down - you suddenly lose everything. And the grid can occasionally go down, whether due to malfunction or malicious intent (as was the case in North Carolina recently)
Unless it has a pilot light it needs electricity to function. So most modern gas appliances are as useless as electric ones when the power is out. The only exception I can think of is a stove where a normal person could probably safely get it lit with a match or lighter.
Well I’ve never seen a gas stove that couldn’t be more or less safely lit with a match. My own technically has an electric igniter, but it’s broken, so I use a lighter
Yeah, that’s why I called stoves out as the exception. Ovens are 50/50 depending on the design. Modern gas water heaters, furnaces, and fridges are not safe to take a lighter to though.
Fair
You could have smaller local gas power plants in the meantime…
How small? Takes a lot of energy to keep the heating on, not to mention stuff like stoves and fridges.
I’m not saying it’s impossible, but rather that it’s not that simple
I’m talking about one relatively small gas powered plant per large city, not for small villages. Gas power plants are so easy to build…
If hydrogen fuel ends up being viable, they can be converted to carry that.
Hydrogen fuel usually needs very low temperatures iirc
Not necessarily. You’re thinking of liquid hydrogen, which is definitely widely used, but almost all consumer hydrogen powered stuff, like cars, use compressed hydrogen, which is the same as the compressed natural gas you get from the municipal mainlines. Actually, compressed natural gas is used in vehicles too, but usually busses and trucks and not so much personal cars.
Yes, I was thinking of the liquid hydrogen fuel cells for cars, forgot it can can be compressed
