Maybe, but there are already natural gas shortages. People in TN use to want gas appliances because gas was cheaper than electric. It’s not that way any more.
“Maybe, but there are already natural gas shortages. People in TN use to want gas appliances because gas was cheaper than electric. It’s not that way any more.”
I’m sure you know more about the situation in TN & natural gas in general than I, so I’ll just refer you to “thackney” who is our resident FReeper expert on energy.
Natural Gas Gross Withdrawals and Production
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/ng/ng_prod_sum_dcu_NUS_m.htm
Additions to Capacity on the U.S. Natural Gas Pipeline Network: 2007
“U.S. natural gas pipeline construction activity accelerated
in 2007 with capacity additions to the grid totaling nearly
14.9 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of daily deliverability (Figure
1). These additions were the largest of any year in the
Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) 10-year
database of pipeline construction activity. The increased
level of natural gas pipeline construction activity in 2007
conformed to a growth trend that began slowly in 2005 and
intensified in 2006. In 2007, about 1,700 miles of pipeline
were installed, which was greater than in any year since 2003.
http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/natural_gas/feature_articles/2008/ngpipelinenet/ngpipelinenet.pdf
Locally produced energy is the most efficient, regardless of the type of fuel.
If NG is not available locally, but coal is readily available, the cost of transporting the fuel is minimized. Plus the local economy is stimulated by the local jobs.
Oil is the universal energy that allows us to travel.
But for heating, electricity production, or other uses, locally produced energy is the most efficient. Not every region of America has NG readily available.