US Sets Natural Gas Power Production -- August 30, 2020
I think this is third time I've posted this story in some form or another. It's a most incredible story, and it turns out it's even bigger than previously reported. From Watts Up With That.
According to the US Energy Information Administration, these
nominally United States set a new record for natural gas-fired
electricity generation in July 2020.
Figure 1. Daily US volume of natural gas consumed for electricity generation (billion cubic feet, Bcf). US EIA
On July 27, 2020, US power plants burned 47.2 billion cubic feet
(Bcf) of natural gas, beating the previous record by nearly 2 Bcf. The
US also set a record for electricity generation from natural gas,
peaking at “316 gigawatts (GW) in the late afternoon” of July 27.
Figure 2. Daily Lower 48 electricity generation by source. US EIA
The lower 48:
natural gas: 45%
coal: 24% (twice that of renewable energy)
nuclear: 17% (could be less in the out years, although Bill Gates trying to salvage his investment)
renewable energy: 12% (remember: renewable energy in this context includes a lot of hydroelectricity -- dams)
But look at this:
new natural gas-fired net summer capacity: 8.4 GW
new onshore wind capacity: 12.6 GW
So, it looks like a whole lotta wind. Hardly. Read the small print (you won't see this at PUC hearings):
The net addition of 8.4 GW of “new natural gas-fired net summer capacity” will actually be capable of generating nearly twice as much electricity as the 12.6 GW of new onshore wind capacity.
Combined cycle natural gas-fired power plants can deliver >85% capacity factor.
Wind generally struggles to maintain 30%.
0.85 x 8.4 GW x 24 hr/d x 365 d/yr = 62,546 GHh/y
0.3 x 12.6 GW x 24 hr/d x 365 d/yr = 33,113 GHh/y
And, natural gas works at night and when the winds don’t blow (or blow too hard).
Oh, one more thing. And this is huge -- this is before the EV revolution. A reader recently suggested his electricity consumption will increase ~ 20% once he switches from his ICE to his Tesla.
Advice for young men and women:
1800's: "go west, young man"
1950: "plastics"
2000: "software"
2020: "natural gas pipelines"
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Yes, more demand, and better utilization of pipelines, generations facilities and grid. Another plus is not having to shut down and restart generators every day. Eliminating problems of cool down and reheat thermal expansion issues.
Simple example, I heat my house with oil. Takes 20 minutes for the boiler to reach full operating temperature. During the mild days of winter it runs 4-8 hours a day, shuts down and cools. Next day, restarts cold, needs to warm up. Now I mainly use a wood pellet stove not needing the oil heater to start unless on the coldest days.
I could get that extra 20% of electricity during off peak hours for 17% less cost regular rates
ReplyDeleteI'm looking at the "big picture." That 20% off-peak means more natural gas would be burned during the night to provide that new demand.
DeleteYes, more demand, and better utilization of pipelines, generations facilities and grid. Another plus is not having to shut down and restart generators every day. Eliminating problems of cool down and reheat thermal expansion issues.
DeleteSimple example, I heat my house with oil. Takes 20 minutes for the boiler to reach full operating temperature. During the mild days of winter it runs 4-8 hours a day, shuts down and cools. Next day, restarts cold, needs to warm up. Now I mainly use a wood pellet stove not needing the oil heater to start unless on the coldest days.
All great news for natural gas.
Delete