Will Natural Gas Overcome Solar?

The Worldwide Energy car is powered by clean natural gas. If you see it driving around Kansas City, be sure to wave.

Is natural gas poised to overtake solar as the latest, most efficient renewable? That's the question that some analysts are asking especially since natural gas is becoming increasingly inexpensive and abundant.

"The price of natural gas is at a 10-year low, and is roughly half of what it was this time last year due largely to technological advances."

In a recent New York Times op-ed, analyst Thomas Friedman expressed concern "that the shale gas boom will significantly defer the transition to solar and other renewables."

Friedman says, "We are in the midst of a natural gas revolution in America that is a potential game changer for the economy, environment and our national security – if we do it right."

While natural gas is a fossil fuel, it emits only half as much greenhouse gas as coal, and it is inexpensive to deploy. But is it enough to overcome other renewable sources of energy?

We like to think that there's room for all types of renewable energy sources including solar, natural gas, and wind. What's more important is the application of these sources, and where would they fit best.

For example, solar is ideal for a business in Arizona, and wind is great for a production facility in Kansas. There's room for all types of renewable energy, especially if reducing utility costs, and improving the environment are the end goals.

Source: AOL Energy