America's Energy Portfolio Current State and Future Trends

CIVINS (Civilian Institutions) Thesis documentIn only a single decade, the use of coal has declined by 40% while natural gas electricity generation has risen by more than 50%. The revolutionary advances in shale recovery of natural gas through hydraulic fracturing has kept supply high and prices low in the face of rapidly increasing demand. Interestingly, this demand for new natural gas power plants is not driven by increased power consumption. This seems to be a rational choice, as natural gas power stations are the subject of new research and have achieved greater efficiencies and lower costs. This cost savings, however, does not justify closing down functioning coal stations and investing huge sums in new construction. Increased regulation costs for coal have been force multipliers for natural gas, increasing costs for keeping coal power online just when gas prices make their alternative more appealing than ever. The conclusion of this report notes that while the rise of natural gas has been enabled by lower fuel prices, it has been caused by government action. How our current energy mix was formed can provide valuable insight into its future and how to prepare. Trends in regulation for the previous decade have been consistent: Less pollutants such as smog are acceptable, and carbon dioxide emissions will be increasingly reduced. This portends even more preference for natural gas in the future.NPS CIVINShttp://archive.org/details/americasenergypo1094563172LT, SC, USNApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited