Why Clean Natural Gas?

What is natural gas?
Natural gas is a fossil fuel formed when layers of buried plants and animals are exposed to intense heat and pressure over millions of years. Natural gas is composed almost entirely of methane, a molecule that has one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms (CH4).

Methane is a colorless, odorless gas.  It is the same fuel we use for our kitchen gas ranges; for household use, an odorant is added to methane to give it the distinctive, “natural gas” smell.

When methane is burned (combined with oxygen), the carbon is turned into carbon dioxide (CO2) and the hydrogen atoms become water (H2O). The vast majority of the combustion products from natural gas electric generation facilities are the same compounds naturally present both in ambient air and in our exhaled breath.

How do emissions from natural gas compare to other types of fuels?
Natural gas electric generation facilities, like those currently being built by CPV, are some of the cleanest forms of fuel-based electricity generation in the world. Per kilowatt-hr of electricity carbon dioxide emissions are more than 50% lower than those from coal and oil facilities; nitrogen oxide emissions are 5 times lower than from coal and oil plants; sulfur dioxide emissions are more than 1,500 times lower than from oil and more than 3,000 times lower than from coal; particulate matter emissions are 18 times lower than from oil and more than 500 times lower than from coal; and mercury emissions from natural gas are virtually zero.

Why is CPV using natural gas as the primary fuel for their fuel-based electric generation facilities?
One of the major challenges of creating a clean energy infrastructure is the ability to maintain electric grid reliability while adding more fluctuating power sources like solar and wind.

CPV’s core mission focuses on developing clean wind and natural gas-powered electric generation as a bridge to our clean energy future. We work with wind and gas technologies because we know of no better combination than blending the reliability upon which 21st century life depends with the environmental benefits our planet needs.

Concerned scientists around the world have identified natural gas electric generation as one of the solutions to reducing our world carbon footprint and mitigating the effects of global climate change. By replacing dirty, outdated coal and oil power plants with clean natural gas facilities, we can address this issue in a meaningful way without idly waiting for technology to catch up. Domestically-drilled natural gas requires less transportation while providing greater national energy security and thousands of good, local jobs. As stewards of the environment, CPV believes that it is essential to utilize this valuable source of energy generation to maintain our quality of life and support the development of renewable power sources like wind and solar.

To learn more about CPV's natural gas generation development program click here.