school energy&environment
Natural gas
Natural gas is the last fossil source of energy to be used on a global scale. For over a century, when the gas was discovered in areas that were far from the places where it could be utilized, it was preferably burnt at the gas well or freed into the atmosphere, because harnessing it in a pipeline and making it travel for many kilometres was too expensive. The situation has changed over the past forty years and today natural gas ranks third in world consumption of energy and is the fossil source with the best growth prospects. In the Seventies with the creation of transport infrastructures for importing natural gas, the producer countries and the consumers defined typical contract agreements that are reference models still today.
From the Seventies up to date world consumption of gas has tripled, growing from 100 billion cubic metres to approximately 3,584 cubic meters in 2016. Data updated to 2016, indicate that Italy produces 5.65 billion cubic metres of natural gas per year and consumes 69.27 billion cubic metres a year.
(Source: eni, World Oil and Gas Review 2017)
subjects dealt with in Natural gas
Natural gas knowledge
Natural gas is a fossil fuel like oil and coal. It is a mixture of hydrocarbons, mostly methane, and other…
Extraction and distribution
Often, albeit not always, natural gas is extracted from the same fields as oil. Just like oil, natural gas is…
Uses
Thanks to its several economic and environmental benefits, in the latest years natural gas has converted into the main fossil…
Methane hydrates
At the beginning of the Nineties, in marine geology research environments, word began to spread about a particular substance present…
Environment and territory
The extreme flexibility of natural gas makes it one of the fuels easier to use, whereas the low content of…
special reports
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11 April 2016 / Energy
A decade of gas demand
World demand for natural gas Eni publishes annually the World Oil and Gas Review, the annual statistical survey of the…
18 May 2016 / Energy
The demand for natural gas in Italy
To understand the demand for natural gas in Italy in recent years, we look at the trend in consumption in…
10 January 2012 / Energy
Shale gas
The golden age of gas The International Energy Agency (IEA) is an international organisation that represents one of the points…
-
23 October 2013 / Air
Carbon Footprint
CO2 emissions and lifestyles If your parents decide to buy a new car, they might be attracted by a car…
13 May 2013 / Earth
Small steps, great footprints
Which one takes up more space, an apple or a steak? Have you ever wondered how much space is taken…
18 January 2016 / Energy
Ten years of oil demand
World oil demand Eni has recently published the 14th edition of the 2015 World Oil and Gas Review, the annual statistical…
-
14 July 2021 / Energy
Italy's renewable sources
Renewable energy sources in Italy The Energy Services Operator (GSE) periodically publishes data and statistics on the renewable energy sources…
10 September 2020 / Energy
A simple and ingenious invention
There are objects so simple and ordinary that we forget their existence when we don't need them. Their presence is…
17 March 2020 / Energy
Energy and renewable sources: what is the current status?
The relentless growth of renewable energy sources continues... The Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (Ren21) periodically publishes…
-
11 April 2016 / Energy
A decade of gas demand
World demand for natural gas Eni publishes annually the World Oil and Gas Review, the annual statistical survey of the…
18 May 2016 / Energy
The demand for natural gas in Italy
To understand the demand for natural gas in Italy in recent years, we look at the trend in consumption in…
-
10 January 2012 / Energy
Shale gas
The golden age of gas The International Energy Agency (IEA) is an international organisation that represents one of the points…
23 October 2013 / Air
Carbon Footprint
CO2 emissions and lifestyles If your parents decide to buy a new car, they might be attracted by a car…
-
13 May 2013 / Earth
Small steps, great footprints
Which one takes up more space, an apple or a steak? Have you ever wondered how much space is taken…
18 January 2016 / Energy
Ten years of oil demand
World oil demand Eni has recently published the 14th edition of the 2015 World Oil and Gas Review, the annual statistical…
-
14 July 2021 / Energy
Italy's renewable sources
Renewable energy sources in Italy The Energy Services Operator (GSE) periodically publishes data and statistics on the renewable energy sources…
10 September 2020 / Energy
A simple and ingenious invention
There are objects so simple and ordinary that we forget their existence when we don't need them. Their presence is…
-
17 March 2020 / Energy
Energy and renewable sources: what is the current status?
The relentless growth of renewable energy sources continues... The Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (Ren21) periodically publishes…
-
11 April 2016 / Energy
A decade of gas demand
World demand for natural gas Eni publishes annually the World Oil and Gas Review, the annual statistical survey of the…
-
18 May 2016 / Energy
The demand for natural gas in Italy
To understand the demand for natural gas in Italy in recent years, we look at the trend in consumption in…
-
10 January 2012 / Energy
Shale gas
The golden age of gas The International Energy Agency (IEA) is an international organisation that represents one of the points…
-
23 October 2013 / Air
Carbon Footprint
CO2 emissions and lifestyles If your parents decide to buy a new car, they might be attracted by a car…
-
13 May 2013 / Earth
Small steps, great footprints
Which one takes up more space, an apple or a steak? Have you ever wondered how much space is taken…
-
18 January 2016 / Energy
Ten years of oil demand
World oil demand Eni has recently published the 14th edition of the 2015 World Oil and Gas Review, the annual statistical…
-
14 July 2021 / Energy
Italy's renewable sources
Renewable energy sources in Italy The Energy Services Operator (GSE) periodically publishes data and statistics on the renewable energy sources…
-
10 September 2020 / Energy
A simple and ingenious invention
There are objects so simple and ordinary that we forget their existence when we don't need them. Their presence is…
-
17 March 2020 / Energy
Energy and renewable sources: what is the current status?
The relentless growth of renewable energy sources continues... The Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (Ren21) periodically publishes…
from the Multimedia section
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Some curiosities about methane hydrates
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Orimulsion
In order to improve supply security, and therefore the diversification of sources to produce electric energy...
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Cracking operations
At the end of the fractional distillation, long hydrocarbon molecules can be transformed into lighter molecules by means of more…
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Every day the Earth receives enough solar energy to satisfy the global energy need...
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Electricity and electrons
In all electric plants, excluding photovoltaic solar plants, mechanic energy is transformed into electric energy through the same basic procedure...
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The age of coal starts towards the mid 1600s, stimulated by the need for finding an alternative energy source to…
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Geographical distribution of energy
Every day the Earth receives enough solar energy to satisfy the global energy need. Unfortunately we cannot exploit all this…
An artificial geyser
Electric and thermal power produced from geothermal energy depend on the existence of underground infiltrations...
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Hydrogen from biomass
Hydrogen is an energy carrier that allows to generate energy in an environmentally sustainable way...
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Some curiosities about methane hydrates
The melting of the ice cells, not only brings about the release of methane gas, but it also produces another…
-
Orimulsion
In order to improve supply security, and therefore the diversification of sources to produce electric energy...
-
Cracking operations
At the end of the fractional distillation, long hydrocarbon molecules can be transformed into lighter molecules by means of more…
-
Where does energy come from?
Every day the Earth receives enough solar energy to satisfy the global energy need...
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Electricity and electrons
In all electric plants, excluding photovoltaic solar plants, mechanic energy is transformed into electric energy through the same basic procedure...
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Peat and peat-bogs
The age of coal starts towards the mid 1600s, stimulated by the need for finding an alternative energy source to…
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Geographical distribution of energy
Every day the Earth receives enough solar energy to satisfy the global energy need. Unfortunately we cannot exploit all this…
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An artificial geyser
Electric and thermal power produced from geothermal energy depend on the existence of underground infiltrations...
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Hydrogen from biomass
Hydrogen is an energy carrier that allows to generate energy in an environmentally sustainable way...