Shale gas is the new topic of discussion in the United States. The findings of composites of this resource have started to strike new and exciting changes in our economy. It has brought about new technologies for drilling as well as provided a lifetime supply of our most valuable resource. Shale gas is sure to generate many conversations well into the future of our society.
Shale is a familiar word that many of us may have come across in our educational background. It is sediment found beneath the earth’s crust. It consists of mud, clay and other organic substances that have been compressed into a rock. While it is not the rock that generates the natural gas it does house it. Within the pores of the shale is where natural gas can be found. This gas is what has come to be referred to as shale gas.
Shale gas is valuable because it an energy source that is expected to drastically reduce greenhouse emissions as its use increases. Just 14 years ago, shale gas was responsible for only 1 percent of the United States natural gas production. By 2010, that number increased to more than 20 percent and the U.S. government’s Energy Information Administration predicts that the United States’ natural gas supply from shale gas will only continue to grow and provide us with cleaner, more efficient energy.
As you can imagine the new type of natural gas has generated a link to our future, our economy, and eco-system. With every new journey there comes learning experiences. Shale gas is not expected to be a replacement for natural gas but rather a shift to a new way of life in which we obtain and utilize the resource.