Every day, in every corner of our globe, there are toxic greenhouse gases spewed into the air.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) of France states that, the world, must capture 4 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions to keep global warming under control. The carbon dioxide emissions are the product of our production.
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is essentially the process of capturing these bits of gas and pulling them down into the earth for sequestration, or storage. This storing of dangerous waste is vital in the reduction of greenhouse gases.
In the United States, 40% of CO₂ emissions are from electric power generation. CCS technologies will produce a dramatic reduction from power plants that burn fossil fuels, by a staggering 80-90%. This is roughly equivalent to the planting of 62 million trees at a 10 year growth rate.
Two new CCS Operations, that have been started in 2015, one in Saudi Arabia and one in Canada. The Boundary Dam project, pictured left, has created the world’s first, large-scale CO₂ trap.
According to IEA, projections that are related to the global energy demand, point to fossil fuel consumption being incompatible with stable greenhouse gas concentrations.
Over 150 countries that are attending the upcoming Climate Change summit are dedicated to keeping a lid on the rising temperature due to greenhouse gases. The goal among the attendees is no more than a 2 degree Celsius rise in the temperature across the board.
Since the technology that is involved with the capture and storage, have only been put together on an industrial scale in a small number of installations, we need to create broader understanding of the technology and work involved.
Another company committed to CCS is The Global CCS Institute, an international membership organization that accelerates development, demonstration and deployment of CCS. The company’s headquarters are in Melbourne, with offices in DC, Brussels, Beijing, and Tokyo.
“CCS has a vital role to play as part of the overall technology mix required to meet the internationally agreed goal of limiting the impact of global warming to 2 degrees,” said Brad Page, CEO of Global CCS Institute.
With a global investment at $20 million since 2007, it is important to find the financial support to bring CCS to a commercial scale, “Compare that to the investment of 100 times that amount for renewable power generation technologies over the same timeframe,” said Page, “A disparity in policy support is the main reason for this.”
