Combustion expert Dick Bennett notes that the fuel-fired process heating arena typically experiences evolutionary changes unless some crisis, usually environmental or energy-related, kicks the pace up a notch. Bennett looks back at where we were 10 years ago, where we are now, and where the trends may take us.
A recent article in the Chicago Tribune reported a speech
delivered by Alan Greenspan to the House of Representatives Energy
& Commerce Committee. In it, he said the era of cheap and abundant
natural gas in North America has ended, Canadian reserves can no longer
be counted on to cover future increases in consumption, and gas
imported from elsewhere will be the only counter to future shortages
and drastic price increases. To reinforce the message, the article
contained a Bloomberg graphic showing that the price of natural gas
futures contracts had increased from about $3.35 to $6.33 per million
BTU in the 12 months since June 2002. Worse, the trend showed no signs
of leveling off. Elsewhere, I've read about low levels of underground
storage and concerns of supply pinches again this winter.
