That cost would need to drop to one-fourth its current level to bring it in line with technologies like wind and solar in terms of their carbon abatement - the degree to which they reduce emissions. Christoph Gebald, Climeworks' co-founder, told the Washington Post that it costs at least $600 to capture one metric ton of carbon dioxide, since super-heating the air takes a lot of energy. Each of those facilities could remove up to 250 times more carbon per year than Orca.īut as with many emerging technologies, direct air capture is expensive. It also plans to start construction on a a plant in Texas next year. Two other plants are in planning phases: The Canadian company Carbon Engineering, which is backed by Bill Gates, started designing a similar facility in northeastern Scotland three months ago. Before that, the technology had only been used on a small scale in spacecraft and submarines. The Swiss company Climeworks, which built Orca, has the only operational game in town its other plant is in Switzerland. This technology, known as direct air capture, is in its infancy. Orca, by contrast, is an attempt to deal with the greenhouse gas that's already up there. But that simply prevents more carbon from accumulating in the atmosphere. More than 20 facilities worldwide currently do this, most of which are in the US. It can then be converted into materials like concrete or stored underground. Those collect the carbon produced in the manufacturing process before it enters the air. The Orca facility works differently than the carbon-capture technologies built into some power plants, steel mills, and industrial facilities. It often indicates a user profile.Įquipment used to capture carbon dioxide at a coal-fired power plant owned by NRG Energy in Thompsons, Texas, on January 9, 2017. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.
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