Electricity from Natural Gas

  Natural gas is a fossil fuel formed when layers of buried plants and animals are exposed to intense heat
and pressure over thousands of years. The energy that the plants and animals originally obtained from
the sun is stored in the form of carbon in natural gas. Natural gas is combusted to generate electricity,
enabling this stored energy to be transformed into usable power. Natural gas is a nonrenewable resource
because it cannot be replenished on a human time frame.

  The natural gas power production process begins with the extraction of natural gas, continues with its
treatment and transport to the power plants, and ends with its combustion in boilers and turbines to
generate electricity.

  Initially, wells are drilled into the ground to remove the natural gas. After the natural gas is extracted,
it is treated at gas plants to remove impurities such as hydrogen sulfide, helium, carbon dioxide,
hydrocarbons, and moisture. Pipelines then transport the natural gas from the gas plants to power plants.
Power plants use several methods to convert gas to electricity. One method is to burn the gas in a boiler
to produce steam, which is then used by a steam turbine to generate electricity. A more common approach
is to burn the gas in a combustion turbine to generate electricity.

  Another technology, that is growing in popularity is to burn the natural gas in a combustion turbine and
use the hot combustion turbine exhaust to make steam to drive a steam turbine. This technology is called
 "combined cycle" and achieves a higher efficiency by using the same fuel source twice.