Clean Energy Benchmark Is Natural Gas: Today And For The Future

Authored by The Empowerment Alliance via RealClearEnergy,

Much has been said in recent months about America’s energy production and consumption. Specifically, which types of energy are optimal for today and — perhaps more importantly — for our needs tomorrow is a subject from town halls to coffee shop conversations and kitchen tables.

Bloomberg Intelligence’s research shows data centers, buildings filled with servers and other computing equipment for data storage and networking that supports operations and artificial intelligence (AI), could be responsible for as much as 17% of all U.S. electricity consumption by 2030. 

One data center can require 50 times the electricity of a typical office building, according to The Department of Energy.

As America wrestles with its future energy needs, this indisputable fact remains: Natural gas is the affordable, reliable and clean energy source that should serve as the benchmark by which all other energy sources are measured.

Consider:

• Carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation have declined 61% due to increased use of natural gas over other sources like coal, according to The American Gas Association.
• The restarting of coal plants underscores the real issue, which is the need to build more gas-fired power plants fairly soon.
• U.S. utilities and investors plan to add 133 new natural gas-fired power plants to the nation’s grid, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence data, by 2030.
• Renewable energy sources can’t keep up with our growing energy needs.

A tale of two Heartland states

One community in Omaha, Nebraska, is considering restarting an old coal power plant. We understand the urgency here, but the neighborhood that has had some of the worst air pollution in the region should consider other options. 

The fact that they’re bringing a coal plant online in Nebraska illustrates the dire situation facing officials and energy companies with AI and the growing need for affordable, reliable energy for decades to come.
Here’s a better example from the neighboring state of Kansas, which is what The Empowerment Alliance (TEA) advocates should be happening nationwide.

• Kansas’ largest electric utility plans to build two new natural gas plants by the end of the decade.

Evergy, which serves 1.6 million customers in Kansas and Missouri, will construct combined-cycle natural gas plants — each with a 705-megawatt capacity — in 2029 and 2030.

A key takeaway comes from Democrat Gov. Laura Kelly, who said the plants would ensure reliable energy, including in emergencies or periods of high demand, like hot summer days. “As Kansas continues to transition to more sustainable energy, we’re doing it responsibly. These plants are much cleaner than traditional coal plants.”

We agree with Gov. Kelly’s rationale and we encourage other states with growing data center footprints, such as Ohio and Virginia, to follow suit.

Energy Security ARC

At TEA, we have a plan for our energy future called the Energy Security ARC. Natural gas is the obvious solution to our clean energy needs.

The two examples above underscore the crossroads that many communities, large and small, are facing regarding energy choices. The decisions made affect local jobs (165 new jobs in this city), and will have a direct impact on consumer costs for decades. 

So they shouldn’t be taken lightly, based on these facts:

• The U.S. is the world leader in lowering carbon emissions, largely because of increased use of natural gas for electricity generation.
• Increased use of natural gas for electricity generation is the top reason for power sector emissions reductions over the past 17 years — almost double the impact compared to renewables.
• In 2022 alone, the shift to natural gas provided an emissions reduction equivalent to 156 coal-fired power plants operating for a year.

There are various practical options for energy, and those may include nuclear and coal. But natural gas is the clear choice when discussing affordable, reliable and clean energy. This pertains to millions of households, small businesses, family farms, factories and technologies still being developed.

Natural gas is America’s trusted energy choice — past, present and future.

The Empowerment Alliance was formed in 2019 to offer common-sense energy solutions that promote production and consumption of Affordable, Clean, Reliable natural gas. We believe that our nation’s energy independence is essential for America’s independence.