Natural Gas: Fuel for the 21st Century

by Vaclav Smil

Natural gas is the world’s cleanest fossil fuel; it generates less air pollution and releases less CO2 per unit of useful energy than liquid fuels or coals. With its vast supplies of conventional resources and nonconventional stores, the extension of long-distance gas pipelines and the recent expansion of liquefied natural gas trade, a truly global market has been created for this clean fuel.

Natural Fuel for the 21st Century discusses the place and prospects of natural gas in modern high-energy societies. Vaclav Smil presents a systematic survey of the qualities, origins, extraction, processing and transportation of natural gas, followed by a detailed appraisal of its many preferred, traditional and potential uses, and the recent emergence of the fuel as a globally traded commodity. The unfolding diversification of sources, particularly hydraulic fracturing, and the role of natural gas in national and global energy transitions are described. The book concludes with a discussion on the advantages, risks, benefits and costs of natural gas as a leading, if not dominant, fuel of the 21st century.

This interdisciplinary text will be of interest to a wide readership concerned with global energy affairs including professionals and academics in energy and environmental science, policy makers, consultants and advisors with an interest in the rapidly-changing global energy industry.

Genres: Science, Economics, Nonfiction, Engineering, Technology, Sustainability, Politics

250 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 6, 2015

About the author

Vaclav Smil is a Czech-Canadian scientist and policy analyst whose work spans energy, environment, food, population, economics, history, and public policy. Educated at Charles University in Prague and later at Pennsylvania State University, where he earned his Ph.D. in geography, Smil emigrated from Czechoslovakia to the United States in 1969 following the Soviet invasion, before beginning his long academic career at the University of Manitoba in 1972. Over the decades he established himself as a leading voice on global energy systems, environmental change, and economic development, with particular attention to China. Smil has consistently argued that transitions to renewable energy will be gradual rather than rapid, emphasizing the persistence of coal, oil, and natural gas and highlighting the difficulties of decarbonizing critical industries such as steel, cement, ammonia, and plastics. He has also been skeptical of indefinite economic growth, suggesting that human consumption could be sustained at much lower levels of material and energy use. Widely admired for his clear, data-driven analyses, Smil counts Bill Gates among his readers, while colleagues have praised his rigor and independence. Known for his reclusiveness and preference for letting his books speak for him, he has nonetheless lectured extensively worldwide and consulted for major institutions. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a member of the Order of Canada, Smil remains a highly influential public intellectual.

Reviews

[Omar Kaaki · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very comprehensive and beautiful overview of the complete Natural Gas supply chain... From the chemical compounds forming it, to the technologies speeding up it's extraction, to the geopolitics governing it's trade.

[William Thomson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good facts, very little narrative.

This book does not present the story of natural gas so much as the facts of its use as a fuel source. If you are looking to learn about the people and businesses involved in the development of Natural Gas as a fuel during the twentieth entry this is not the book for you. If on the other hand you are interested in knowing how Natural Gas compares as a fuel to other fuels, or how much it costs to develop natural gas infrastructure, etc this is a good resource.

[HAMZA IQBAL · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a technical book and I avoided the data part thereof and limited to gleaming theoretical knowledge of the topic. The topic is very well covered in sufficient detail for any person new to the gas industry, and an excellent entry level book, even though a bit difficult.

Sufficient details are given of the process from exploration, extraction, transportation, and end use of gas and the intricacies of every stage. My aim was to learn the subject at moderate depth as I wished to make investments in gas companies' shares, a target well achieved.

[John Howland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very detailed and thoroughly thought through. If you want to learn about this increasingly prominent fuel source, it's a good pick-up

[William T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done, and still relevant, but things are changing.

[Andrew Schneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very very informative!

[Marcel Schwarz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this book contains so much knowledge. It explains what natural gas is chemically, what it is used for, who is importing and exporting it and what the geopological consequences are. It also goes into fracking and into some of the ecological consequences.
The ecological point of view is somehow limited though, especially fracking is shown in a very positive light which seems questionable. Other than that a really comprehensive book.