Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Solar thermal offers alternative to natural gas

Although natural gas is ridiculously low in price at the moment, it will inevitably be back on the rise sooner than later. As a recent boon for the natural gas extraction industry,  horizontal drilling will eventually see a  decline in popularity due the expensive and complicated problems associated with it. Formation instability, improper hole cleaning and break-out debris in the hole wedged beside the drill string can cause the drill pipe to become stuck resulting in costly pipe recovery operations. In addition, further unpopularity for this new technology stems from the negative environmental impact it has had on surrounding communities and landscapes where this method has already been implemented. This type of gas extraction presents unacceptable risks to nearby drinking water supplies, well quality, groundwater, aquifers, ponds and streams.

So what's next (not if, but when) natural gas prices soar again? Solar thermal is an ideal alternative, and has been for close to 30 years. Up to 20 years of maintenance free energy production with the installation of a solar thermal system. Check out this great article from the Boulder Weekly posted last week in regards to solar thermal vs natural gas:
http://www.boulderweekly.com/article-4545-solar-thermal-offers-alternative-to-natural-gas.html#commAjax