Natural Gas To Electricity Efficiency

Excess renewable electricity can be converted to natural gas which can be stored until needed.

Natural gas to electricity efficiency. New technologies are improving efficiency. For example the power station irsching 4 near ingolstadt achieved an efficiency rate of 60 75 shortly after it was commissioned in 2011 which was a world. Used 9 6 trillion cubic feet tcf of natural gas to produce 1 340 terawatt hours twh of electricity more than a 20 improvement from 200o when 5 2 tcf produced 600 twh. Moreover gas fired power stations attain very high efficiency rates thanks to sophisticated technology converting a larger proportion of the energy in natural gas into electrical energy.

It s easy to transport and little is lost while being delivered to the end user. In 2015 the u s. The gas turbine operates in much the same way as a normal gas turbine using the hot gases released from burning natural gas to turn a turbine and generate electricity. For example in 2019 of the 11 9 quads of natural gas consumed for electricity generation natural gas plants converted 45 5 4 quads into net generation of electricity.

Price in washington state space heating costs are approximately 2 30 energy unit for electricity at 100 efficiency compared to 1 energy unit for natural gas. These power plants use gas turbines or gas turbine based combined cycles. Natural gas and propane rates are also generally competitive with electricity rates though it s important to note that rates for both gas and electricity are always changing and vary greatly by region. Energy information administration form eia 923 power plant operations report from 2006 to 2015 annual average heat rates of natural gas fired electricity generators decreased 7 as heat rates of coal fired electricity generators remained stable.

Natural gas fired electricity conversion efficiency grows as coal remains stable source. Gas is a more efficient heating fuel than electricity so if you re using gas you re automatically making the ecologically friendly choice. In combined cycle plants the waste heat from the gas turbine process is directed toward generating steam which is then used to generate electricity much like a steam unit. Natural gas is a more efficient fuel source for many applications.

When choosing between electricity and natural gas there a several factors to consider and prioritize such as price reliability efficiency and environmental impact to name a few. Natural gas fired including lng fired power plants account for almost 20 of the world s electricity generation. The technology and the type of fuel used to generate electricity affect the efficiency of power plants. Natural gas fired power plants.