Research

The rest of the world is looking to the United States to learn how to leverage the miracle of hydraulic fracturing. A newly released report from global management consulting firm Accenture, titled “Water and shale gas development: leveraging the US experience in new shale developments” (full copy embedded below), looks at the water issue when it comes to fracking—and how the U.S. has effectively managed water use and disposal. According to the report, we in the U.S. are masters at moving water from point A to point B, conserving it, and disposing of it—and our hard work and innovation can benefit other countries now considering fracking their own shale deposits.

Here’s a description of the report from Accenture:

Read More “World Marvels at U.S. Fracking Water Management”

A new peer-reviewed study by MIT (see below) obliterates the findings and false claims made in a previous Cornell University study by Robert Howarth and Tony Ingraffea. The Cornell study tried to make the case that natural gas is actually worse for the environment than burning coal because of so-called greenhouse gas emissions from “fugitive methane” escaping into the atmosphere during the gas drilling process (see this MDN story).

A new study published in Environmental Research Letters by MIT researchers has done some actual—instead of theoretical—measurements and has found that “fugitive emissions” of methane are much smaller than Howarth and Ingraffea stated. Smaller by orders of magnitude—like only 22% of what the Cornell study theorized them to be. Oops. Paging Howarth and Ingraffea—the dean wants to see you in his office NOW.

Read More “New MIT Study on Fugitive Methane Discredits Cornell Study”

The International Energy Agency (IEA) released its annual World Energy Outlook (WEO) for 2012 yesterday. One of the starring roles in the report goes to unconventional shale gas and oil being produced by the U.S. Among the statements in the report: “The WEO finds that the extraordinary growth in oil and natural gas output in the United States will mean a sea-change in global energy flows.” The report predicts the U.S. will be a natural gas net exporter in eight short years—in 2020.

Below is the press release for the new report which contains a lot of interesting detail. Below we’ve embedded (1) a copy of the executive summary from the report, (2) a copy of the many of the findings in the report in the form of a “fact sheet”, and (3) a copy of PowerPoint slides shown to the press. There are a number of highly interesting slides (see our description below).

Read More “IEA Issues World Energy Outlook 2012 – Shale Energy the Star”