Abstract
To alleviate the problem of the insufficient reserves of natural gas in China, coal-based synthetic natural gas (SNG) is considered to be a promising option as a source of clean energy, especially for urban use. However, recent study showed that SNG will not accomplish the task of simultaneous energy conservation and CO2 reduction. In this paper, life cycle costing is made for SNG use in three main applications in residential sector: heating, household use, and public transport. Comparisons are conducted between SNG and coal, natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), diesel, and methanol. The results show that SNG is a competitive option only for household use. The use of SNG for heating boilers or city buses is not as cost-effective as expected. The biggest shortcoming of SNG is the large amount of pollutants generated in the production stage. At the moment, the use of SNG is promoted by the government. However, as shown in this paper, one can expect a transfer of pollution from the urban areas to the regions where SNG is produced. Therefore, it is suggested that well-balanced set of environmental damage-compensating policies should be introduced to compensate the environmental losses in the SNG-producing regions.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
