As U.S. Temperatures Spike, So Does The Need For Natural Gas

As U.S. Temperatures Spike, So Does The Need For Natural Gas

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 08: U. S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm speaks during a daily press ... [+] briefing in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House April 8, 2021 in Washington, DC. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki held the briefing to answer questions from members of the press. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) As our energy-climate discussion marches on, one of the most telling things is being played out this sweltering summer. Once again, U. S. natural gas is being shown as undeniably essential to our immense energy demand complex. First the overwhelming numbers: natural gas accounts for 45% of our power generation capacity, 40% of actual power generation, and 33% of energy supply. In future, however, the lean on natural gas could be much higher than some want you to think, especially since gas is expected to remain relatively low-cost. The reality is that coal and nuclear plants are being retired (the former in droves over the past 12 years), so we have been increasingly going down the "only gas, only renewables" path for America's electricity. The problem is that wind and solar are naturally intermittent, unavailable most of the time and usually backed