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Stop Coal Seam Gas... Why?

"We must Stop Coal Seam Gas!!!" seems to be the cry going up now in the fashionable green movement and its supporters, such as Get Up!

The trouble is there is a lot of bluster and noise, backed up by a concern that such a method of extracting methane from the ground is going to result in massive environmental pollution. Of course, there is an element of truth in this, but the risk is not qualified with the likelihood of that risk occurring and the benefits obtained for taking that risk.

First off, what is methane?

Methane is a naturally occurring gas, according to wikipedia it is either used primarily as a fuel source or as part of industrial processes. Its fuel use is one we shall focus on here, to quote:

"Methane is important for electrical generation by burning it as a fuel in a gas turbine or steam boiler. Compared to other hydrocarbon fuels, burning methane produces less carbon dioxide for each unit of heat released. At about 891 kJ/mol, methane's heat of combustion is lower than any other hydrocarbon but the ratio of the heat of combustion (891 kJ/mol) to the molecular mass (16.0 g/mol) shows that methane, being the simplest hydrocarbon, produces more heat per mass unit (55.7 kJ/g) than other complex hydrocarbons. In many cities, methane is piped into homes for domestic heating and cooking purposes. In this context it is usually known as natural gas, and is considered to have an energy content of 39 megajoules per cubic meter, or 1,000 BTU per standard cubic foot."


So its a very useful form of energy to use in electrical generation and is able to do so with less carbon emissions than say burning coal.

On the face of it, this sounds like an excellent idea, drill down to where the methane is, tap it and burn it at a well head generator to produce electricity with a carbon and environmental footprint less than burning coal.

So what is the problem with it?...

Gasland..

If one thing contributed to giving Coal Seam Gas a 'bad rap' it was the movie Gasland, especially the scene of the chap lighting the water coming out of his tap. Basically the premise is that 'fracking' causes the gas to get into the water table, so thereby effecting the water supply. Obviously tap water you can burn isn't a quality one would want. See the clip below.



Now the question is, did the actual fracking do this or was something else to blame...  Well..

Actually Gasland did not present the full facts of the matter, see this article , I quote:

"Fox’ documentary Gasland, claims that fracking, a way of drilling for natural gas, has polluted water and endangered lives. One of the most alarming scenes is when he lights water that residents claim has been polluted by fracking. It is dramatic and at first glance seems like a slam dunk. I mean they can light their water – it is polluted and there is gas drilling nearby. It must be responsible.

But then a little digging reveals a few inconvenient facts. A 1976 study by the Colorado Division of Water found that this area was plagued with gas in the water problems back then. And it was naturally occurring.

As the report stated there was “troublesome amounts of methane” in the water decades before fracking began. It seems that in geographical areas gas has always been in the water.

But Josh Fox knew this and chose not to put it in Gasland."

So basically the key premise behind Gasland was a fiction.

What about real coal seam gas extraction pollution?

Well unless I'm missing something a search on Google Australia for the phrase "coal seam gas pollution" turns up nothing substantive to demonstrate any pollution events.

I did manage to find this which is a good audio about coal seam gas by an academic in the field; seems he has a pragmatic approach to getting out the gas whilst protecting the environment.

So whats all the fuss about?

Well it looks like yet another largely fact free environmental scare campaign - more about scaring people over things they don't understand to curry opinion and influence policy.

Basically, we need to do better than this and see through such scare tactics; unless proven otherwise it looks like coal seam gas extraction could be a step in the right direction to reduce our environmental impact - which has to be a good thing right?

Update

Okay, that got a response. It appears that the issue here is actually one of the coal seam gas extraction without due consideration to the environment, for an example see here. Now companies cutting corners and not doing the right thing by the environment is a real issue and something that should be dealt with. Although by the same argument, this is something any other business could 'commit' by ignoring regulations to protect the environment..

I'm really after seeing that the process of gas extraction is examined in its own right distinct to how well (or not) it is being done. Only then can be established what is the correct way to do it, with respect to the environment, which can then be set as the benchmark or standard the drillers need to follow.

Also given that farmers are not getting real compensation for pollution events caused by the drilling on their land is something else which should be addressed - they didn't ask for pollution on their land so should be compensated.

As regards the fossil fuel point made, yes, I agree it is not renewable - but there is actually very little that is truly renewable when you take the time line out to more than 30 years - the only real winner at a cost point that works is hydro which only certain places are blessed with.



Also the current generation of solar and wind is under constant refinement and technical development, to a certain degree committing to them now large scale while they are expensive and not at the top of the 'tech maturity curve' will mean they will be replaced well before their expected end of life, so leaving us with a load of old tech to dispose of and more money to found for the new tech. Current Solar and wind is not viable without large government grants and those grants ultimately come from us. The monetary aspects in energy production is something that is always going to be a major consideration.