Shale gas as valuable as coal, study finds.

A study has found that shale gas has an energy return more or less equal to coal.

The fuel energy provided by the resources was compared with the amount of energy taken to produce them, in order to find the energy return on investment (EROI).

Shale gas, which is produced by fracking, was found to have a similar EROI to coal. The study suggests that shale gas could prove a viable energy resource for years to come, providing environmental concerns can be managed.