Chapter 1

An Introduction to Gas-Fired Power Generation


Natural gas is the second most important fossil fuel for generating electricity after coal. Although it has a long history as a fuel for power generation, it is only since the 1990s that its use has soared, mainly on the back of the development of the high-efficiency combined cycle power plant. These plants are cheap to build and can produce cheap electricity if the cost of gas is low. They emit less carbon dioxide than coal-fired power plants. The commercial exploitation of natural gas began during the 19th century when it was first used for lighting. Electricity generation was initially in gas-fired boilers with steam turbines but the development of the gas turbine offered an alternative ...

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