Transition to sustainability with natural gas from fracking

This paper analyzes the energy requirements and cost of constructing a renewable energy system with the excess energy available from natural gas obtained by hydraulic fracturing. Using U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates of the future availability of natural gas and estimates from the literature of the energy required to build a wind power and photovoltaic (PV) electricity generation system, we develop a scenario for constructing a sustainable electricity system for the United States. A preliminary analysis is made of the cost of the renewable system. Net reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases and oxides of nitrogen are also estimated. The analysis suggests that it would be possible to build a sustainable electricity system from the excess natural gas from fracking in less than 30 years. After that, the energy produced from the renewable system is sufficient to replace obsolete equipment and construct new generation technology as required by growth in demand. Even after accounting for the emissions associated with its construction and operation, the sustainable system would reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) and nitrogen oxides emissions compared to continued use of a fossil fuel system.