Question

This chapters delves into several nonconventional sources of oil and gas, including drilling deep below sea-level, hydraulic fracturing deep below the Earth, and extracting oil from shales and tarry oil sands. Pick one, and in two paragraphs, describe it, and provide an analysis using the Triple Bottom Line: economic health, environmental health, and societal health.

Answer 1

I am taking shale gas for discussion. Shale gas is the non conventional source of energy. Here the gases present at the source rock itself. As we know that the source rock have low porosity and permeability so gas cannot come up automatically, that's why we need hydraulic fracturing. By this the trapped gas can be extracted.

But the problem is that for this so much water is needed. And we know that water is going to be a major problem in coming future, because the fresh water concentration is decreasing so rapidly. So this is a problem for the extraction of the gas.

But the beauty of this shale gas is that it is environmental friendly. Because by burning these natural gases we we produce less than 15% of CO2 and CO. But by burning coal we produces 45% and by petroleum 30-40% of CO2 and CO. So it is quite environmental friendly.