15+ Pros And Cons of Natural Gas (Explained)

Apart from the other fossil fuels, natural gas is one of the prominent ones that fuels many things worldwide.

Recently, it has been found that the world is leaning more towards a kind of resource for producing energy that does not cause pollution. For this, there are several conversations regarding using natural gas at present and in the future.

While both aspects have some substance, it is important to note the pros and cons of natural gas usage. When it comes to the pros and cons, some of the scientific research is also taken into consideration while observing both sides.

Table of Contents

Pros of Natural Gas:

It is relatively cheaper:

Vehicles that run on natural gas are found to be saving a lot of money. The energy produced is quite efficient. It is also noted that the majority of cars have an engine that is fuelled by gas.

While it has a significant use when domestic purposes are considered, a significant amount of energy is gained with a very small amount of gas used.

Transportation:

There is an ease of transport when it comes to natural gas. It is found that transport can be easily done through ships, pipes as well as tankers. It is way easier when it comes to transporting natural gas, taking carbon footprints into mind.

This is the reason why it is preferred to be used at home to cook as well as heating. Other kinds of benefits are its use in the manufacture of chemicals, fertilizers, plastics, and hydrogen.

Production of soot is relatively lesser:

Natural gas can produce a relatively lesser amount of pollution as compared to other non-renewable sources of energy. It is because all natural gas’s byproducts are in the form of gas.

The combustion is proved to be cleaner than diesel and gasoline. As per scientific research, it is found that the generation of carbon dioxide is relatively lesser by about more than 40 percent than coal. Hence, it is found to be better than other fossil fuels when environmental means are considered.

With Natural Gas Production Of Soot is Lesser

The supply is abundant:

The availability of natural gas is across the globe and abundant. Even in the US, the reserves count to about a trillion barrels of natural gas that is not harvested.

While there is no denying the fact that this source is finite like the other fossil fuels, there is a need for conserving it too.

Infrastructure:

Regarding infrastructure, the technology for producing natural gas is similar to fossil fuels.

This kind of similarity is nothing but an advantage that can produce natural gas too. It is mainly used to generate a huge amount of heat and power.

Safety:

Safety is one of the main concerns when it comes to the usage of fuels. In this case, as the fuel is in the gaseous form, there are possible risks of leakage that can be prone to several disasters. The gases that perform combustion very easily can burn everything that comes in contact with it.

However, natural gas is found to be lighter than air, resulting in its ascent to the upper part of the atmosphere, making it one of the safest types of fuel in the gaseous form.

Cons of Natural Gas:

Does not show sustainability:

It is all known that this kind of energy is non-renewable. Hence, this kind of source is surely going to finish someday in the future. The world will be facing a lack of energy in the coming days. The prominent energy sources are found to be non-renewable.

For this, there will be scarcity as natural gas performs unsustainability. Hence, it is needed to be considered to find an alternative for such an important energy source.

Emission of greenhouse gases:

Combusting each of the fossil fuels results in greenhouse gases that can affect the environment, causing an imbalance in the environment. The same applies to burning natural gas capable of yielding harmful gases like methane and carbon dioxide.

So, this kind of energy is not helping in keeping a balance with the environment, leading to a rise in the earth’s surface temperature. Undoubtedly, this is one of the serious issues faced that is known as global warming.

Pipelines are found to be expensive:

The kind of infrastructure required for grasping natural gas is found to be one of the expensive ones. Moreover, the pipes’ lengths are too long and costly to prevent leakage risks.

This results in making the whole infrastructure relatively costly. The fuel is to be transported to places that are too distant from the place where reaching out requires a more lengthy pipeline, making the transport more and more expensive.

Ease of use is not there:

Grasping energy with the help of this kind of energy is not as easy as it seems. The components of this include methane. Moreover, there are several other byproducts.

One of the major risks associated with natural gas is the hazard of leakage which can make its use a bit more difficult. Hence, it should be used carefully to ensure there is no chance of leaks.

Inflammability is very high:

Natural gas is found to be highly inflammable. It makes this kind of source of energy more dangerous. Moreover, this mixture of gases includes no odor at all. For this, there are cases where the leakage cannot be identified due to its odorless properties.

This is the reason why some substance is additionally present in the tanks so that the leakage can be identified.

Storing it is expensive:

While it exists in the gaseous form, its volume is way more than that of liquid fossil fuels like petrol. This is why the expenses for storing natural gas are more than for keeping liquid fossil fuels. These kinds of costs can be found to be significant, and investing such an amount for storing purposes is not justifiable at all.

Hence, it is obvious that providing a balance between all the pros and cons of natural gas is quite difficult. However, natural gas is one of the important non-renewable sources that are widely used across the globe in generating a sufficient amount of energy. Moreover, it burns by emitting fewer harmful gases like carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

While there are some drawbacks as natural gas is still a non-renewable source of energy. However, it is effective and cheaper; its storage takes up a lot of expense. At the same time, there are other risks associated with it too.