Explainer-High-tech climate solutions that could cut emissions in the
long term
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[October 30, 2021]
By Timothy Gardner
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - From replicating the
process that fuels the sun to harnessing scorching temperatures deep
below our feet, scientists, companies and venture capitalists are
betting on high-tech ways to power the planet without emitting
greenhouse gases.
Such "moon-shot" technologies are likely to be a topic of conversation
when delegates meet at U.N. climate talks in Scotland starting on
Sunday, to figure out how to speed the transition off fossil fuels.
While traditional clean energy sources like solar and wind power are
expected to play a leading role in helping countries reach near-term
climate goals, higher-tech solutions may be needed to achieve
longer-term targets.
Making those technologies available will require lots of research, money
and a bit of luck. Here are some of the technologies drawing the most
attention:
FUSION
Fusion is the process that fires the sun. It could eventually power your
home.
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It works when nuclei of two atoms are subjected to extreme heat, leading
them to fuse into a new larger atom, giving off enormous amounts of
energy in the process.
The trick is that the usual fuel hydrogen has to be heated to 150
million degrees Celsius which takes a lot of energy in the first place.
No facility has yet performed a fusion reaction that releases more
energy than it requires. Running an electric power plant off fusion
presents additional hurdles, like how to contain that heat economically.
Still, scientists at Oxford University, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology and elsewhere say they are making progress. The UK government
believes a prototype will be in place by 2040.
Fusion has advantages over fission - used in today's nuclear reactors to
break apart atoms - including that the fuel is derived from water, not
radioactive uranium or plutonium. That means fusion does not generate
long-term radioactive waste, which few politicians want in their
districts.
Energy companies are excited by fusion. Both Italy's ENI
landmark-test-energy-fusion-project-2021-09-08, and Norway's Equinor
have invested. U.S. company Chevron Corp has invested in Seattle-based
Zap Energy Inc, a fusion startup.
ADVANCED NUCLEAR
Advanced nuclear plants would be smaller than today's massive nuclear
reactors. They could theoretically be used in remote locations, or
complement wind and solar power when the sun goes down or the wind dies.
And some versions could use nuclear waste as a fuel.
But advanced nuclear reactors are also a challenge to build. Today's
large light water reactors provide economies of scale, while small ones
can be expensive.
Critics say create more concentrated waste, and would run on uranium
that is far more enriched than fuel in today's reactors. That could make
some advanced reactors and their supply chains attractive to militants
seeking materials that could be more easily converted into a dirty bomb.
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In the United States Bill Gates wants to build a Natrium reactor in
Wyoming for about $1 billion and have many of the plants providing power
to the grid in the 2030s. China, Russia and Japan are also working on
the technology.
CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE
Last month in Iceland, Climeworks AG partnered with carbon storage
company Carbfix to open the world's largest plant to suck carbon dioxide
out of the air capturing-carbon-air-starts-iceland-2021-09-08 and pump
it underground where it eventually becomes rock, according to the
companies.
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A facility for capturing CO2 from air of Swiss Climeworks AG is
placed on the roof of a waste incinerating plant in Hinwil,
Switzerland July 18, 2017. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
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It is one of 15 direct air capture (DAC) plants in
the world that together suck about 9,000 tonnes of CO2 a year out of
the sky. Sounds impressive, but that is only about the amount that
comes out of the tail pipes of 2,000 cars.
High costs, in the range of $600 per tonne captured, could limit
growth in the short term. But the costs will fall as the technology
improves, proponents say. "That's where it gets a lot more
interesting," said Noah Deich, the president of nonprofit group
Carbon 180. He thinks DAC will come into its own after 2030.
Even lower-tech carbon capture and storage (CCS), in which CO2 is
captured at an industrial site instead of from the air, has had a
bumpy road. Several plants to siphon CO2 from coal plants for burial
underground have failed or been put on ice .
Tax breaks in U.S. legislation would boost a credit for CCS to about
$85 a tonne. But critics, including environmental group the Sierra
Club, say offering large credits could encourage plants to continue
burning fossil fuels.
HYDROGEN
Long used in rocket fuel, hydrogen can be mixed with natural gas to
make a cleaner-burning fuel, or used in a fuel cell vehicle,
releasing water vapor as exhaust. It can also be extracted from
ammonia as fuel for ships.
The holy grail is so-called clean hydrogen produced with wind, solar
or nuclear power, since today's "grey hydrogen" is made with fossil
fuels. But that costs about four times as much.
Another option, blue hydrogen, is made using natural gas plants that
capture carbon, but some scientists say that process can release
methane than natural gas itself.
Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, is planning a $5
billion plant at its futuristic city NEOM to produce clean hydrogen.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2021/Oct/30/images/ads/current/graue_21CAMARO_100421.png)
GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANTS
Geothermal power plants tap heat up to 700 degrees Fahrenheit (370
C) far below the earth's surface to create steam and turn turbines
that generate electricity.
Countries such as the United States, Indonesia, the Philippines and
Kenya are leading geothermal electricity generation. But the
technology needs to ramp up greatly to play a significant role in
providing an alternative to fossil fuels.
The United States has the capacity to generate 10% of the country's
current power demand through geothermal, up from 0.4% costs hold
back investments. Countries with few fossil fuel resources,
including Japan and Singapore, aim to develop geothermal power.
(Reporting by Timothy Gardner in Washington; Additional reporting by
Nikolaj Skysgaard in Copenhagen; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
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