LNG Today
Although the majority of Americans know very little about liquefied natural gas (LNG), it has been an important part of the nation's energy mix for almost 100 years. LNG has been used in this country since 1912, when the first facility was built to store natural gas in its liquid state in West Virginia.
Currently, there are 100 production, transport and storage facilities across the country. When LNG is returned to its gaseous state, it is used across the residential, commercial and industrial sectors for purposes as diverse as cooking, fueling vehicles, generating electricity and manufacturing paper, metal and glass.
HOW LNG IS USED TODAY
LNG is an efficient and safe way to transport natural gas across long distances and store it near consumers.
Natural gas supplies our nation with much of its energy. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), in 2009 natural gas accounted for:
- 76% of the residential and commercial sectors' energy needs
- 65 million people used natural gas to heat and cool their homes.
- Hospitals, schools, office buildings, restaurants, stores and other commercial establishments rely on natural gas for things like space-heating, water-heating, cooking, air conditioning, dehumidification and on-site power generation.
- 40% of the industrial sector's energy needs
- Natural gas is a dominant fuel for paper, metal, chemical, petroleum, stone, clay, glass, plastic and food processing industries.
- 18% of electricity generation
- In the last several years, most of the new power plants built in the United States used natural gas because it is a clean-burning fuel.
- 3% of the transportation sector's energy needs
- Over 112,000 transit buses, taxi cabs, package delivery trucks and other vehicles operating in the U.S. are fueled with clean-burning natural gas, according to the Natural Gas Vehicle Association. According to the American Public Transit Association, 26 percent of all new transit bus orders in 2009 were for natural gas. According to the association, about 18 percent of U.S. transit buses run on natural gas.
Source: Natural Gas Vehicle Association
LNG FUELED VEHICLES
Some heavy duty vehicle fleets are moving to LNG as a fuel of choice. Using LNG and natural gas to fuel vehicles reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 30-40 percent versus conventional liquid fuels.
Source: www.fueleconomy.gov
LNG FROM LANDFILL GAS
LNG can also be derived from landfill gas. At a landfill near Livermore, California, landfill gas converted into LNG is being used as fuel to power trash collection vehicles. This technology not only turns waste into a renewable energy source, but it also benefits the environment due to the reduction in fuel emissions produced by the garbage truck fleet.