In only a relatively short space of time, natural gas has gone from a strange novelty to one of the dominant sources of energy in the US.
Based on the way the demand for natural gas has grown over just the last few years, experts are predicting that natural gas will continue to climb in use for at least 30 years, overtaking coal and oil as the biggest source of energy in the US. As more individuals and businesses become aware of the advantages of natural gas, particularly its money-saving efficiency, homes and offices are switching from oil-based systems to gas systems in order to save money. At the same time, energy demand is going up overall, and more and more of the new energy is produced from natural gas as coal and oil fall out of favor for being environmentally unfriendly.
Production of natural gas is speeding up not just to match the increased demand, but to overtake it. Natural gas is comparatively easy to produce and store in large quantities, so production tends to continue even though demand fluctuates seasonally. As the US produces less coal and more gas, that gas is going to become a key export product, boosting the use of natural gas worldwide. With an increasing global interest in environmentally friendly energy, at some point natural gas will give way to completely clean and renewable energy sources like wind, solar and geothermic. For now, though, those technologies are still developing, and in the couple of decades it will probably take before truly renewable energy technology is mature enough to handle large-scale needs, gas will continue to grow as a safe, efficient and clean source of energy in the US and worldwide.