Everyhing in our houses can be run by electricity, from heating to hot water and cooktops. That makes me think natural gas can only be useful to produce electricity in gas power plants.

Electricity higher efficiency and lower leaking or dispersion, suggests a win-win situation.

  • @Slatlun@lemmy.ml
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    21 year ago

    There are municipalities in my area that have started mandating electical appliances in new buildings. I think gas lines are on their way out. My guess is that it will be 50 years before they are all gone in cities in the US.

  • @Shrike502@lemmygrad.ml
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    11 year ago

    Problem is, if the grid goes down - you suddenly lose everything. And the grid can occasionally go down, whether due to malfunction or malicious intent (as was the case in North Carolina recently)

    • @Slatlun@lemmy.ml
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      31 year ago

      Unless it has a pilot light it needs electricity to function. So most modern gas appliances are as useless as electric ones when the power is out. The only exception I can think of is a stove where a normal person could probably safely get it lit with a match or lighter.

      • @Shrike502@lemmygrad.ml
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        11 year ago

        Well I’ve never seen a gas stove that couldn’t be more or less safely lit with a match. My own technically has an electric igniter, but it’s broken, so I use a lighter

    • suokoOP
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      11 year ago

      You could have smaller local gas power plants in the meantime…

      • @Shrike502@lemmygrad.ml
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        11 year ago

        How small? Takes a lot of energy to keep the heating on, not to mention stuff like stoves and fridges.

        I’m not saying it’s impossible, but rather that it’s not that simple

        • suokoOP
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          11 year ago

          I’m talking about one relatively small gas powered plant per large city, not for small villages. Gas power plants are so easy to build…

    • suokoOP
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      21 year ago

      Hydrogen fuel usually needs very low temperatures iirc

      • Marxism-Fennekinism
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        11 year ago

        Not necessarily. You’re thinking of liquid hydrogen, which is definitely widely used, but almost all consumer hydrogen powered stuff, like cars, use compressed hydrogen, which is the same as the compressed natural gas you get from the municipal mainlines. Actually, compressed natural gas is used in vehicles too, but usually busses and trucks and not so much personal cars.

        • suokoOP
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          21 year ago

          Yes, I was thinking of the liquid hydrogen fuel cells for cars, forgot it can can be compressed