Natural Gas
Flame Lit -Part II — A limited micro-blog series of energy definitions and quick facts to help improve energy literacy.
Many of us heat our homes and hot water with natural gas. What is it anyway?
Natural gas is a light hydrocarbon. It’s mostly methane (CH4) but also contains small amounts of heavier gases like ethane and propane.
The gas we use in our homes, like all fossil fuels, was created millions of years ago when carbon sources (old plants and sea life) decayed and formed gas and oil under pressure.
It can also form on the surface anywhere natural materials decay including your local landfill and sewage plant!
Where does it come from? Most of the natural gas we use in Canada comes from Alberta (71%) and British Columbia (27%). [1] A small amount is produced in other regions and imported from the U.S. for regional supply balancing.
Natural gas is produced by drilling wells into the formations that contain it and then processing the gas to remove any impurities. It is then compressed into large pipelines called “transmission lines” and transported over long distances.
The gas is delivered to cities, towns, and your home through smaller pipelines at lower pressure.
