That source could already be here. A new technology developed by a Canadian company aims to remove carbon from natural gas before it's burned, cutting carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 40 percent and capturing solid carbon — known as carbon black — a substance that can be used in making tires, laser printer toner, and other products.
The firm, Atlantic Hydrogen Inc. of Fredericton, New Brunswick, has formed a partnership with the utility National Grid, which has about 1.2 million customers in Massachusetts and is considering developing a pilot plant in Boston to help prove the technology on a commercial scale. If it works, a National Grid executive said, it could reduce carbon dioxide emissions at a cost that is up to 80 percent less than postcombustion methods that capture greenhouse gases and pump them underground.
"It's not a silver bullet for climate change, but there is no silver bullet for climate change,'' said Stan Blazewicz, National Grid's global head of technology. "It's a way to cut the carbon footprint of natural gas.''
Analysts expect natural gas to play a large role in the US energy mix as the nation makes the transition to alternative sources of power, such as wind, solar, and fuel cells. Natural gas is not only the cleanest-burning of fossil fuels, which include oil and coal, but also found in abundance in North America. Improved drilling technology has recently unlocked massive new supplies in US shale deposits.
Natural gas prices are projected to rise moderately over the next 25 years, but remain below oil as US gas production increases by 13 percent, according to the Energy Department. Demand will grow, too, with most of it coming from power plants.