Shale Gas Sources

We need to know whether the natural gas located underneath the surface is a real source of fuel for the next generation, or a speculative bubble hyped by the oil and gas industry, and echoed by the federal government s energy experts. 

Natural gas is hemispheric. I like to call it hemispheric in nature because it is a product that we can find in our neighborhoods. 

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In this overview, however, it should be noted that recent developments in the area of sources and production of shale gas (mainly in C1-C3) completely blnr a vision of the future which was already fairly complex to sketch. 

Fossil fuel-derived energy is receiving major attention as the most viable option for satisfying our near- to midterm energy needs. This possibility has also raised major concerns over the potential environmental and public health impacts associated with various fossil energy technologies. In particular, the anticipated shift away from petroleum and natural gas sources to coal- and oil-shale-derived fuels presents risks that cannot be estimated based upon current knowledge. 

As previously discussed, our functional unit permits comparison of shale gas with other energy sources. In 2012, NETL reported that the carbon and water footprints of coal are 1031 kg C02eq/MWh generated and 450 gal/MWh generated respectively [4], Therefore, we can conclude that the carbon and water footprints of shale gas are about half those of coal when the fuels are used for electricity generation. 

Note Information presented in this table, such as original gas-in-place and technically recoverable resources, is presented for general comparative purposes only. The numbers provided are based on the sources shown and this research did not include a resource evaluation. Rather, publicly available data was obtained from a variety of sources and is presented for general characterization and comparison with other shale gas plays. Resource estimates for any basin may vary greatly depending on individual company experience, data available at the time the estimate was performed, and other factors. Furthermore, these estimates are likely to change as production methods and technologies improve. 

Source Adapted from Arthur, J.D. et al., An Overview of Modem Shale Gas Development in the United States, ALL Consulting, Tulsa, OK, 2008. 

Source USDOE, Modem Shale Gas Development in the United States A Primer, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, E)C, 2009. 

Water for drilling and hydraulic fracturing of these wells frequently comes from surface water bodies such as rivers and lakes, but it can also come from groundwater, private water sources, mimicipal water, and reused produced water. Most of the producing shale gas basins contain large amoimts of local water sources. 

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