Comparing Gas And Electricity For Industrial and Commercial Uses

Renewable, environmental, conservation, and green energy are among the buzzwords often heard when referring to energy sources used by business. Commercial demands for energy are constantly growing, and the expectation that these sources will provide fewer emissions and particulates is growing daily. Can gas and electricity be the environmental solutions that business needs? Examining these two energy sources provide a wealth of information about their present commercial uses and where they are headed in the future.

 

The manufacturing industry is a huge consumer of energy. From assembling automobiles to baking cookies, large commercial enterprises are producing merchandise 24 hours a day. It requires vast amounts of reliable energy to keep the manufacturing industry and all its machinery running smoothly. Power outages can bring manufacturing to a standstill in just seconds. Both gas and electricity play important roles in commercial manufacturing, and as the demands for clean and renewable energy continue to grow, their role is being examined and compared.

 

The non-manufacturing industries, including construction, mining, and farming, also use a considerable amount of electricity to run equipment and to power energy-dependent services. Large dairies require huge refrigeration units to keep milk and its byproducts at cool temperatures. The mining industry uses electricity in the smelting and refining process, and the construction business uses electricity for their heavy-duty power tools. There are many more uses for electricity in the non-manufacturing industries.

 

Electricity

Power plants are changing to be more environmentally friendly and are using fewer non-renewable fossil fuels to produce electricity. By “cleaning up their act” electricity producers are reducing their carbon footprint, while still producing and providing electricity to the most demanding consumers. These five manufacturing industries use more than 60% of all the electricity produced.

 

• The chemical manufacturing industry
• Iron and steel manufacturing industry
• Non-metallic mineral production
• Paper and pulp manufacturing
• Nonferrous metal industry

 

An electric power grid is the method used for moving electricity around the United States. Blackouts in recent years have grown concern for the need to update the power grids. The frequent reference to the United States “national power grid” is a misnomer. Within the contiguous 48 states are found three independently operating electrical grids.

 

• The eastern interconnected system
• The western interconnected system
• The Texas interconnected system

 

The U. S. power grids are old and face many challenges, including a large number of new power lines that must be set, meeting federal regulations procedures for payment, and solving the issues facing the private sector for raising construction funds.

 

The United Kingdom faces similar issues with the upgrading of their power grid. Storage of surplus energy is one of the problems they are addressing. The U. K. is planning a £24.2 upgrade to expansion project to connect the new low carbon energy technologies, such as on and offshore wind power to the power grid. 

 

Natural Gas

Over 45% of natural gas use is in the industrial sector, and its proponents expect to see that percentage increase considerably in the coming years. Second in consumption only to electricity, natural gas gains are attributed to its versatility, low cost, and efficiency. Natural gas is a clean fossil fuel. One of the areas of growth for natural gas in industry is in the production of electrical power. When coal fired power plants are replaced, the replacement is made with natural gas power plants. They are cheaper to build and much cleaner. Natural gas is being used in industry in a variety of areas. The primary ingredients for diverse products, such as anti-freeze, fertilizer, plastic, and fabrics are produced from natural gas.

 

Industrial Uses For Natural Gas

 

• Waste treatment
• Conversion to synthesis gas for methanol production
• Dehumidification
• Pharmaceutical production
• Plastics manufacturing
• Recycling industry
• Commercial dryers
• Paper and pulp industry
• Feedstock for chemical manufacturing

 

Commercial Uses For Natural Gas

 

Many of the commercial uses of natural gas are similar to residential uses on a larger scale. Natural gas is the perfect commercial business solution to address government standards for clean energy regulations.

 

• Commercial cooling
• Food service industry
• On site electricity generation
• Combined heating and power systems (CHP)
• Combined cooling heating and power systems (CCHP)

 

Both electricity and gas play a major part in current energy production for industrial uses, and technology continues to develop new and cleaner uses for both in the future. If you want to find out which provider offers the cheapest gas and electricity visit the price comparison website uSwitch.

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