Abundant, affordable energy drives America’s strong, productive economy. This has been true throughout our nation’s history, and America’s recent energy achievements are Independence This illustrates that fact most concretely.
But for our country to continue to operate at full speed, we need government policies that prioritize sufficient, reliable and secure domestic energy supplies.
Energy affordability and independence are the new keys to American prosperity.
A recently published report,Grid grading,” looked at a variety of potential energy sources, and two stood out as the most logical energy options for the future: natural gas and nuclear power.
No other energy source fits the prescription as abundant, affordable and safe as American natural gas. Even as usage has increased, new drilling techniques such as hydraulic fracturing have reduced the amount of natural gas we use. 79% increase Annual U.S. natural gas production from 2007 to 2021.
As production increases, prices fall. American families are saved. $147 billion Over the past decade, the price of natural gas has fallen, making gas bills cheaper. According to testimony by the American Gas Association before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Accountability, homes that use natural gas for heating, cooking, and other appliances save an average of $1,068 per year compared to homes that use electricity. 36% Total energy demand in the United States in 2023 43% of electricity generation in the United States.
Natural gas also helps improve air quality. Americans Since 1970, our air has become 78% cleaner. transition The shift from older coal-fired technology to more efficient natural gas turbines for power generation is a major reason why the United States leads the world in reducing carbon emissions. Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions are More than 18% decrease Since 2007, electricity generation from natural gas has Over 88% increaseNatural gas, with its distinctive blue flame, has been providing clean electricity to American homes and industries for decades.
Natural gas should be the standard by which other hydrocarbon energy sources, such as fuel oil, heating oil, petroleum, and coal, are measured. Pipeline-quality natural gas — gas that has been treated to remove contaminants and meet certain quality standards — is a high but reasonable standard of clean energy. Policymakers in Washington, DC, and state capitals should develop legislation that targets these standards of affordability, reliability, and cleanliness that natural gas achieves.
Using natural gas as a standard could spur development of technologies such as: catalyst or Formic AcidThis would allow us to continue using hydrocarbons such as fuel oil, kerosene, diesel and coal to produce energy and capture the greenhouse gas emissions associated with their combustion to create usable fuels.
These are economically feasible, technically sound engineering challenges. And the United States, known as the most innovative society on Earth, is known for exactly these kinds of groundbreaking ideas. Why leave out an affordable, reliable source of energy when we can rely on American ingenuity to produce clean electricity from what would traditionally be dumped into the atmosphere as waste?
Nuclear power is the second most promising energy source. It is as affordable as natural gas, yet cleaner and more reliable. American nuclear plants produce virtually emission-free electricity and can operate 24/7 for decades.
Nuclear power generation is about 20% Since the 1990s, nuclear power has provided 10% of the electricity needed in the United States. However, a combination of misinformation and government overregulation of nuclear power has limited its expansion. Nuclear power can and should become the largest source of baseload grid-scale electricity generation in the United States.
The growing population of the United States will require more electricity in the future. As data centers and artificial intelligence become more widespread, the importance of nuclear power and natural gas will increase. Former US Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz emphasized that the expansion of artificial intelligence and data centers is rapidly increasing the demand for electricity.
For America to maintain and grow its economic prosperity, it needs a much more reliable supply of electricity that nuclear and natural gas can provide, Moniz explained at the 2024 CERAWeek conference in Houston. “Utilities will need to rely more on natural gas, coal and nuclear plants to meet the surge in demand, and perhaps support the construction of new gas-fired plants,” he said. “We're not going to build 100 gigawatts of new renewables in a few years.”
Energy affordability and independence are the new keys to American prosperity. Nearly 60 million Americans consider energy affordability when deciding who to support in the election. Hardworking Americans need a smart energy strategy that makes the most of our existing nuclear plants and abundant natural gas supplies. Energy policy must also encourage private investment in innovation that helps other energy sources meet America's standards for natural gas affordability, reliability, and cleanliness.
Editor's note: This article was originally published by RealClearEnergy and published via RealClearWire.
