Last year, natural gas consumption for energy was 81 percent higher than coal consumption, bringing their Carbon dioxide emissions to a almost equal footing.
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From 1990 to about 2005, consumption of coal and natural gas in the USA was relatively similar, but their emissions were different.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) recently released International Energy Outlook 2016 (IEO2016) and Annual Energy Outlook 2016 (AEO2016) showed a significant increase in shale gas production that is expected to continue through 2040.
Though coal is more carbon-intensive, increases in gas consumption and a reduction in coal-fired power mean mean the CO2 emissions from gas will be 10% greater this year, the agency said. But that can not be attributed entirely to the switch from natural gas to coal. Total stocks now stand at 3.339 trillion cubic feet, up 327 billion cubic feet from a year ago and 405 billion cubic feet above the five-year average, the government said.
While overall coal and natural gas consumption were similar from 1990 to 2005, emissions from gas were lower, EIA said. Last year, natural gas was used to generate slightly less than 33 percent of electricity, and coal was used to generate slightly more than 33 percent. “The consumption of natural gas results in about 52 million metric tons of Carbon dioxide for every” million MMBtus (MMmtCO2/quad Btu), while coal emits about 95 MMmtCO2/quad Btu, EIA said.
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At the same time, annual carbon intensity rates in the US have largely been decreasing over the past decade, says the EIA. Instead, the increasing mix of renewables, primarily wind and solar, has also been key to pushing the country’s carbon intensity to lower levels.
