Combined-cycle gas turbines, which use hot exhaust gases from one turbine to generate steam to turn a second one, can transform 6, 800 Btu of gas into a kilowatt-hour of electricity, enough to light one lightbulb for ten hours.

FORBES: Indigestion

Each Btu of oil is now worth about five times as much as each Btu of natural gas.

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Consider that for every BTU of coal or natural gas burned in a combustion turbine only 35 percent of that is converted into useful power.

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The analysts estimate U.S. gas prices would rise an average of 15 cents per million BTU, or about 3.75 percent, if gas producers are permitted to export 6 billion cubic feet of gas per day.

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However, in 2009, the carbon intensity of the electric power sector decreased by nearly 4.3 percent, primarily due to fuel switching as the price of coal rose 6.8 percent from 2008 to 2009 while the comparable price of natural gas fell 48 percent on a per Btu basis.

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Rejigger gas pumps so that they charge by the Btu, not by the gallon.

FORBES: Temperance

Firstly, the utility companies are very likely to revert back to coal fired power generation from gas fired as soon as the gas prices get past coal prices on per BTU basis.

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The oldest gas plants burn as much as 13, 000 Btu, and the national average is 10, 500.

FORBES: Indigestion

This has profound implications for equilibrium gas prices, including the idea that gas should sell for some fixed proportion to oil based on the Btu value of the two fuels.

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Just as we have found new oil and gas in the ground, our ability to squeeze more GDP out of a BTU through efficiency is also undergoing a radical transformation.

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