Page 51 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol IV

1352 berkshire encyclopedia of world history

Generally speaking, in the nineteenth century it
Natural Gas seemed that natural gas was about to gain a vital role in

Europe and North America as a lighting fuel for homes
atural gas is a flammable mixture of hydrocarbon and public streets. However, its role was limited due to
Ngases, formed primarily of methane (CH4) and pro- the difficulty in transporting it from the well to its end-
duced by the anaerobic decay of organic material over users, as the existing pipeline infrastructure was not
the course of millions of years.The history of natural gas capable of doing the job. Moreover, with the advent of
goes back in time at least 3,000 years, to the ancient civ- electric power in the 1880s, natural gas lights were
ilizations of India, Greece, Persia, and China. However, replaced by electric lights.
extensive use of natural gas only occurred following the As natural gas had lost its role as a lighting source, the
1960s.Today, at the beginning of the third millennium, natural gas industry searched for new uses for its prod-
with 34 percent of the world’s proven natural gas reserves uct. In 1885 Robert Bunsen invented a device that used
located in the Middle East, 42 percent in Europe and the natural gas for cooking and heating, allowing its flame to
former Soviet Union, and 3 percent located in the United be regulated.The Bunsen burner diversified the potential
States, natural gas fulfils a vital role in the global supply benefits of natural gas and encouraged the global
of energy. demand for it. However, the difficulty in transporting gas
When early civilizations first came across natural gas to its potential users continued to restrict its actual
seeping out from under the earth’s surface through fis- usability.
sures in rock and in the form of mysterious flames, they Improvements in pipe-making, metals, and welding
believed it to emanate from supernatural powers. Such technologies during World War II made pipeline con-
experiences with natural gas flames were especially com- struction more economically attractive. Thus, after the
mon in ancient India, Greece, and Persia. However, war the world began building an extensive network of
around 600 BCE the Chinese learned to use natural gas gas pipelines.Today, this network consists of over 1 mil-
flames to boil brine, separating out the salt and provid- lion miles in the United States alone (enough to stretch
ing drinkable water. Indeed, Confucius wrote of wells to the moon and back twice). Moreover, the utilization of
100 feet deep along the Tibetan border. natural gas was diversified to include water heating,
In 1785 Britain was the first country to commercial- space heating and cooling, and as a fuel for generating
ize the use of natural gas, using it to light up houses, electricity.The transportability of natural gas opened the
streets, and the like. Some four decades later, in 1816, possibility of using it for a variety of home appliances—
natural gas started to be used for street–lighting in the for oven ranges and clothes dryers, for example.
United States. Natural gas was first discovered in North The oil shortages of the 1970s turned the world’s
America as early as 1626, when explorers observed that attention toward ways of conserving energy, while a
Native Americans in the area of Lake Erie were igniting search for cheaper, more available energy sources also
gases that seeped out from the earth’s surface. However, began. The rise of the environmental awareness in the
the first natural gas well was only dug in the United 1960s and 1970s further impacted the energy industry,
States in 1821, in Fredonia, New York, by William Hart. encouraging the development of energy generation
On 27 August 1859, Edwin Drake found both natural sources that would be less polluting. As a result of these
gas and oil at some sixty-nine feet below earth’s surface. developments, natural gas became the preferable fuel for
Drake’s findings marked a new age for natural gas pro- energy generation.
duction in North America. Prior to his work, natural gas Continued oil shortages and concerns about environ-
was primarily produced from coal. In order to commer- mental quality are expected to further increase the need
cialize his well’s capacity, a pipeline was built from the for natural gas. Changes in the generation segment of the
well to a nearby village,Titusville, Pennsylvania. power industry, such as turning to fuel cells, which are