Lord Oxburgh is the keynote sepaker at the forthcoming Smart Grids & Cleanpower Conference 2012, which takes place at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge, on 14 June.
Ron Oxburgh, Lord Oxburgh Talk Synopsis
Shale gas is natural gas that, unlike conventional gas, never escaped from the source rock within which it was formed because the source was too impermeable. Modern technology has allowed this gas to be exploited by a combination of detailed sub-surface imaging, precisely controlled directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing. The application of these technologies is still in its infancy and some unfortunate and weakly regulated attempts to exploit shale gas have been made without making proper use of them resulting in some highly undesirable environmental consequences that include unintended gas seepages and pollution of ground water. This has led to some strong local resistance to new shale gas exploration.
The world’s shale gas resources are probably very large but detailed exploration has yet to be done in many places. However, shale gas has more than doubled US gas reserves. China appears to have even larger reserves. In countries where it occurs, however, shale gas is likely to displace coal as the preferred fuel for power generation and to that extent will reduce the carbon footprint of electricity. However the continued availability of gas may weaken efforts to find sustainable alternatives.
Tags: Energy, Gas, Power, technology
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Biography for Ron Oxburgh
Ron Oxburgh is an independent member of the House of Lords and is currently chairman of 2OC, Green Energy Options and the Carbon Capture and Storage Association. He was formerly President of Queens’ College Cambridge, Chief Scientific Adviser to the Ministry of Defence, Rector of Imperial College and Chairman of Shell.
To join this conference book online or call 01223303500. There is a pricing matrix for key delegates starting at £49 for students, through innovators at startups, energy companies and investors, academics and service provider professionals.
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