How green or black natural gas is depends on which energy sources it is compared with.
Even if the word “nature” is included in natural gas, it does not mean that the combustion of natural gas is green – that is, understood as meaning that it does not emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Natural gas consists of 70-90 percent methane. As a greenhouse gas, it is about 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide.
The chemical formula of methane is CH4, which means that the molecule consists of one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms. The substance is thus a hydrocarbon compound just like oil and coal and therefore a fossil fuel.
But natural gas is one of the lighter fossil fuels and is greener than, for example, coal, because natural gas has a higher energy content and burns more efficiently.
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Compared to sustainable energy sources such as solar cells and wind turbines, it looks a little darker.
During electricity production, wind turbines and solar cells emit 0 grams of carbon dioxide / kWh. For natural gas, the figure is 350-490 grams of carbon dioxide / kWh.
If you look at carbon dioxide emissions throughout their lifetime, including production and removal of, for example, wind turbines, the carbon dioxide emissions from wind power are still almost 20 times lower than electricity from natural gas.
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