Can Natural Gas Solve U.S. Energy Problems?

[KissMy]

(4) The Picketts Plan calls for Wind Power and Natural Gas run cars: First, it's impossible to change over all the car to natural gas any time soon. Second, if we did we would only delay the inevitable. Third, win power is great in theory, but not good enough for our needs.

The Pickins plan is not to change over cars or gas stations. Just convert the trucks & buses. 90% of these are day trip vehicles that can refuel back at their terminal. If we convert those 90% then there is no need for installing NG fueling stations all over the country. This will cut the hell out of our oil imports.

 

[Big Fitz]

(4) The Picketts Plan calls for Wind Power and Natural Gas run cars: First, it's impossible to change over all the car to natural gas any time soon. Second, if we did we would only delay the inevitable. Third, win power is great in theory, but not good enough for our needs.

The Pickins plan is not to change over cars or gas stations. Just convert the trucks & buses. 90% of these are day trip vehicles that can refuel back at their terminal. If we convert those 90% then there is no need for installing NG fueling stations all over the country. This will cut the hell out of our oil imports.

railroads have been testing this in california for years with mixed results. starting to look like a dead end because it does not have significant benefits.

 

[Care4all]

According to T. Boone Pickens, it can and he has long been frustrated as to the refusal of our leaders, ( ? ) to "go for it."

Financier T. Boone Pickens thinks natural gas makes sense. In his “Pickens Plan” television commercials he states, “natural gas is cleaner, cheaper, abundant, and it’s ours.“

From article:

"Recoverable reserves in the three state area — stretching from West Virginia through Pennsylvania to New York — could be as much as 500 trillion cubic feet. This would double the known shale reserves and boost total U.S. recoverable reserves to more than 2,500 trillion cubic feet.

"No energy source is completely free of environmental side effects, as evidenced in this case by local concerns about water quality where natural gas drilling is occurring. Care must be taken to safeguard water resources in gas-producing areas."


"Is it ours? Compared to America’s domestic oil reserves, which stand at a three-year supply, the United States has at least a 110-year supply of natural gas within its own borders. We are not dependent on anybody else, anywhere, for any of this."


"So it appears that T. Boone Pickens’ claims are true. Natural gas is cleaner, cheaper, abundant, and it’s ours.

"Considering the benefits to U.S. national security and the environment, U.S. energy policy should increase focus on natural gas. It may not be “the” solution to America’s energy problems, but it’s part of the solution."

David Baumann is a research associate at the American Institute for Economic Research, 250 Division St., Great Barrington, Mass.

Can natural gas solve U.S. energy problems?

Not if Obama has his way, In January 2008 he said he wanted to make Oil, natural Gas and coal to expensive to use.

proof on natural gas being on that list of obama's or are you just MAKING THINGS UP again for the sake of bringing obama HATE in to the conversation ret gy sgt??

 

[KissMy]

(4) The Picketts Plan calls for Wind Power and Natural Gas run cars: First, it's impossible to change over all the car to natural gas any time soon. Second, if we did we would only delay the inevitable. Third, win power is great in theory, but not good enough for our needs.

The Pickins plan is not to change over cars or gas stations. Just convert the trucks & buses. 90% of these are day trip vehicles that can refuel back at their terminal. If we convert those 90% then there is no need for installing NG fueling stations all over the country. This will cut the hell out of our oil imports.

railroads have been testing this in california for years with mixed results. starting to look like a dead end because it does not have significant benefits.

What problems were they having?

Wiki

CNG locomotives are operated by several railroads. The Napa Valley Wine Train successfully retrofit a diesel locomotive to run on compressed natural gas before 2002. This converted locomotive was upgraded to utilize a computer controlled fuel injection system in May 2008, and is now the Napa Valley Wine Train's primary locomotive. Ferrocarril Central Andino in Peru, has run a CNG Locomotive on a freight line since 2005 CNG locomotives are usually diesel locomotives that have been converted to use compressed natural gas generators instead of diesel generators to generate the electricity that drives the motors of the train. Some CNG locomotives are able to fire their cylinders only when there is a demand for power, which, theoretically, gives them a higher fuel efficiency than conventional diesel engines. CNG is also cheaper than petrol or diesel.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

According to T. Boone Pickens, it can and he has long been frustrated as to the refusal of our leaders, ( ? ) to "go for it."

Financier T. Boone Pickens thinks natural gas makes sense. In his “Pickens Plan” television commercials he states, “natural gas is cleaner, cheaper, abundant, and it’s ours.“

From article:

"Recoverable reserves in the three state area — stretching from West Virginia through Pennsylvania to New York — could be as much as 500 trillion cubic feet. This would double the known shale reserves and boost total U.S. recoverable reserves to more than 2,500 trillion cubic feet.

"No energy source is completely free of environmental side effects, as evidenced in this case by local concerns about water quality where natural gas drilling is occurring. Care must be taken to safeguard water resources in gas-producing areas."


"Is it ours? Compared to America’s domestic oil reserves, which stand at a three-year supply, the United States has at least a 110-year supply of natural gas within its own borders. We are not dependent on anybody else, anywhere, for any of this."


"So it appears that T. Boone Pickens’ claims are true. Natural gas is cleaner, cheaper, abundant, and it’s ours.

"Considering the benefits to U.S. national security and the environment, U.S. energy policy should increase focus on natural gas. It may not be “the” solution to America’s energy problems, but it’s part of the solution."

David Baumann is a research associate at the American Institute for Economic Research, 250 Division St., Great Barrington, Mass.

Can natural gas solve U.S. energy problems?

Not if Obama has his way, In January 2008 he said he wanted to make Oil, natural Gas and coal to expensive to use.

proof on natural gas being on that list of obama's or are you just MAKING THINGS UP again for the sake of bringing obama HATE in to the conversation ret gy sgt??

The link was given I am not going to go through months of posts to find it. He said all three in the piece. As I recall it took many posts just to get you now to admit he said any of it.

 

[KissMy]

 

[uscitizen]

I think that projection is based on an overly optimistic econiomic growth rate.

 

[Big Fitz]

The Pickins plan is not to change over cars or gas stations. Just convert the trucks & buses. 90% of these are day trip vehicles that can refuel back at their terminal. If we convert those 90% then there is no need for installing NG fueling stations all over the country. This will cut the hell out of our oil imports.

railroads have been testing this in california for years with mixed results. starting to look like a dead end because it does not have significant benefits.

What problems were they having?

Wiki

CNG locomotives are operated by several railroads. The Napa Valley Wine Train successfully retrofit a diesel locomotive to run on compressed natural gas before 2002. This converted locomotive was upgraded to utilize a computer controlled fuel injection system in May 2008, and is now the Napa Valley Wine Train's primary locomotive. Ferrocarril Central Andino in Peru, has run a CNG Locomotive on a freight line since 2005 CNG locomotives are usually diesel locomotives that have been converted to use compressed natural gas generators instead of diesel generators to generate the electricity that drives the motors of the train. Some CNG locomotives are able to fire their cylinders only when there is a demand for power, which, theoretically, gives them a higher fuel efficiency than conventional diesel engines. CNG is also cheaper than petrol or diesel.

yes, I know. I'm aware of the test models. The UP and SP had for years retrofitted switchers for CNG and tested it that way. This is not like the EMD F1 coming on a million mile demonstrator run in the 1930s here. US Railroads have had a long history of experimental models that they did tests on for sometimes decades. High pressure boilers, steam turbines, Super-Power, Third Cylinders... Some of the most successful were the cab-forward and oil driven models.

That said, I don't hear much of long haul SD or GP style engines. Only light duty like the Napa Valley Wine train which hauls at most 10-15 passenger cars at a slow jaunt. I will admit that this is the first time I heard of the Peruvian locomotive. The Andes are a tough haul and grade. One of the few places in the world that still use switchbacks on a regular basis.

But this does not invalidate my statement that as of current, there is no significant advantage of switching over, en-masse to CNG. And you know the biggest telling point of why this is true?

Because nobody else is doing it.

When Dieselification occurred, the F1 demonstrators went across the entire US showing off. Their maintenance record was beyond reproach. They had more pulling power per size, decreased manhour costs, decreased crew, simplicity in handling, massively increased fuel efficiency and a dramatic reduction in physical facility requirements. Plus they were quieter and less dirty. That is why, that in the space of 20 years, 90% of all railroads were almost completely Dieselized. Some, replaced their entire roster in 2-3 years. Some, like the Appalachian coal lines took 20-30 years to fully dieselize because it was cheaper to burn what they hauled.

THAT is showing an advantage. CNG does not show that kind of advantage, and therefore has use for niche markets unless something significant comes along to change that.