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The Road to Energy Sustainability with Natural Gas

Event Details:

Wednesday, November 4, 2020

Road to Energy Sustainability with Natural Gas Agenda

Natural Gas is a vital component of the energy landscape to ensure decarbonization, energy equity and energy reliability. Stanford Natural Gas Initiative is proud to host an invitation-only conversation on the social, economic and environmental benefits of natural gas. Topics to be discussed by world experts from academia and industry include:

Meeting decarbonization targets in California with Natural Gas

California’s electrical power sector has the largest share of solar and wind energy sources in the U.S. and is a test-bed of emerging technologies for decarbonization. This said, the current cost of electricity in California is more than twice the natural average, in part due to the high cost of energy storage. Wind and solar resources in California have a very strong seasonal variation (both peak during the summer) resulting in the need for both daily and seasonal back-up energy sources. In addition, recent large-scale disruptions of electrical power (due both to inadequate generating capacity during peak-demand periods as well as fire prevention) have raised questions regarding the reliability of the grid. Furthermore, there is an increasing trend toward electrification in place of direct gas use for buildings. In this panel we will discuss the options and pathways available to meet California’s carbon targets; the necessity of gas as a backup for renewables; and the changing public perception of natural gas across the country.

Natural Gas and the developing world

The developing world still has almost a billion people without access to electricity, and over 2.5 billion people relying on traditional biomass for cooking and heating. Renewable energy now comprises a significant share of the energy mix, particularly in China and India, but overall increasing energy means that the use of coal for electrical power generation is projected to increase over the next decade as well. We will discuss the case of gas as a reliable backup for renewables and as a thermal fuel and the associated reduction in air pollution. 

Natural Gas 2.0

Natural gas offers economic, social and environmental benefits that will ensure energy sustainability. We will discuss technologies and methods for utilizing gas in a manner that maximizes the decarbonization potential. This includes producing and transporting methane in a responsible manner, eliminating methane leaks, utilizing renewable natural gas, and generating Hydrogen from methane (in combination with carbon, capture and storage) to provide cost-effective energy storage and transportation fuel for heavy duty vehicles.

This is an online event, registration required.

Questions: Please contact Denise Baughman (deniseb@stanford.edu)

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