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 * Natural Gas [[image:natural gas power.jpg width="364" height="266" align="right"]] **

 Natural gas, consisting mainly of methane, is a colorless, odorless fuel that burns cleaner than many other traditional fossil fuels. It's used for heating, cooling and production of electricity, and it finds many uses in industry. Increasingly, natural gas is being used in combination with other fuels to decrease pollution.
 * What is it? **

 Natural gas is obtained, sometimes along with oil, by drilling into the earth's crust where pockets of natural gas were trapped hundreds of thousands of years ago. Once the gas is brought to the surface, it is refined to remove impurities like water, other gases and sand.  Burning natural gas produces virtually no atmospheric emissions of sulphur dioxide or small particulate matter. Emissions of carbon monoxide, reactive hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide are also lower than those given off when other fossil fuels are burned.

 The secret to the low emissions from natural gas is that it is composed mostly of methane. Methane molecules are made up of one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms. When it's burned completely, the principal products are carbon dioxide and water vapour.  By comparison, oil and coal have much more complex molecular structures that include more carbon, as well as various sulphur and nitrogen compounds. Coal and industrial fuel oil combustion also produces ash particles, which don't burn at all.

NPR Visualizing the Energy Grid - Learn about the energy resources powering our country and our state, and find out how they are interconnected.
 * Learn More **

Energy Explained - US Energy Information Administration. Learn about how each energy resources is found and used to provide the energy we need.

Energy4Me - Compare the pros and cons of each energy resource.

CBC News Online | May 20, 2009 [], - Additional information about energy resources.

Buzzle: Pros and Cons of Energy - Additional information about energy resources.

Estimated cost per kilowatt hour by resource: