Montage Resources (MR)

[RyGuy]

Interesting.

https://naturalgasnow.org/20-gigawatts-new-natural-gas-generated-electricity-coming-2018/


Power plant operators are scheduled to bring 20 gigawatts (GW) of new natural-gas fired generating capacity online in 2018, which, if realized, would be the largest increase in natural gas capacity since 2004. Almost 6 GW of the capacity additions are being built in Pennsylvania, and more than 2 GW are being built in Texas. In contrast, about 13 GW of coal-fired capacity are scheduled to be retired in 2018. These changes in the generating capacity mix contribute to the continuing switch from coal to natural gas, especially in southern and midwestern states.

The fact nearly one-third of this new natural gas generated electricity is being built in Pennsylvania is, of course, a direct result of the shale revolution, which brought Marcellus Shale gas to market, disrupting everything in the best possible way. It allowed old coal-fired plants to be closed or converted, while adding tremendous capacity to produce much cleaner natural gas generated electricity.

And, the numbers are staggering. Twenty gigawatts of natural gas generated electricity capacity, assuming a capacity factor of 65% can be expected to yield 13 gigawatts of actual electricity, enough, under the most conservative assumptions, to serve roughly four million homes and perhaps twice that. Looked at another way, 13 gigawatts is 26,000 times as much a 10 acre solar farm yielding a net of one-half megawatt of electricity (often when not needed and at significantly higher costs to ratepayers and taxpayers). It would, therefore, require a minimum of 260,000 acres of land to produce the same electricity with solar, plus the natural gas generated electricity would still be needed as backup for when the sun doesn’t shine.

This is why natural gas generated electricity is growing so fast. Here’s more from Today In Energy: