Markus Groth () (Centre for Sustainability Management, Leuphana University of Lüneburg)
Abstract
Methane hydrates are the largest existing carbon resource, and their broad geographic distribution, especially in comparison to oil and conventional gas, make them a promising future source of energy. On the other hand, there is a danger of forcing the greenhouse effect in the event of a release of methane in the atmosphere as well as causing a destabilisation of the oceanic sediments. Also the technical difficulties in the extraction of methane are not yet fully resolved. Nevertheless, the research on methane hydrates has been forced both based on political as well as economic considerations in recent years and methane hydrates have practical advantages, which make them a noteworthy transitional solution on the way to a renewable energy based future energy supply. The knowledge of the potentials and risks of methane hydrates, however, is still poor; especially in the German-speaking public and policy. This deficiency will be solved by a focused analysis of the current state of research and an outlook, based on the most important findings.
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