Europe Plans to Capture Carbon and Store it to Reach Climate Goals

4 years ago Environment

CO2 emissions are a real concern. The environmental problems that emissions cause are many, the solutions are few and not very satisfying.

Carbon capture and storage - how it might look What carbon capture and storage might look like. Image via co2storage.org.uk

If we were to speak long term (really, really long term), we’d need better energy efficiency and more renewable energy sources. Notwithstanding this, there's no need to talk about that here, as so many have already tackled that problem.

What could really prove to be useful however, is the plan conceived to aid Europe’s climate goals, (the continent incidentally, may very well depend on it). A promising technology known as Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is the subject of a proposal for European legislation.

CCS is an alternative approach to the CO2 issue, which sequesters (captures) the greenhouse gas, instead of releasing it into the atmosphere. The technology necessary for storage is already available and it's estimated that if it were applied to your average power plant it could reduce emissions by 80-90%.

Studies have shown that that the best 'storage place' would be at 1000 meters under the ground. Most oil and gas fields are ideal storage places, having contained high-pressure CO2 for millions of years. This process can also boost the quantity of gas and oil harvested, thus rendering it commercially appealing.

Up to 2,000 giga tons a year could be stored annually with this process, accounting for only about 1/12 of the total emissions. However, by 2050, roughly 90% could be stored this way.

Unfortunately, the technology won’t be passed into legislation until around 2020, despite the fact it has already met popular support in the EU. Still, the CCS potential is huge, and it should be used!

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Written by: mareacaspica

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Comments

Old Comments

Breezy says

Mar 31st, 2008 at 12am
So why the wait? There might not be much of a planet left by then!

Steve N Lee says

Mar 31st, 2008 at 12am
While I can see the value in this technology, isn't it simply sweeping the problem under the carpet? Yes, more efficiency and more renewables would be great, but the primary solution in doing something about this problem is not in finding ways to 'hide' what we use or ways for us to continue consuming just as much as we do now but at reduced emmissions - the solution is in a simple mindset shift: to realise we don't need all the trappings of the 21 century, power, waste, consumables, and all, and simply to stop buying it. Result? Nothing to hide, and pollution would fall naturally. Yes, the population will grow and demand will grow with it, but if we forsake this throwaway consumer culture then the world could handle it. Unfortunately, people don't like this option because they fear what they may have to live without. God forbid they can't buy a fifteenth pair of shoes, or a TV for their kid's bedroom bringing their house total up to four or five, or a new car when their 'old' one is perfectly capable for doing its job for years yet... If people learned to repect the world and learned a little self-discipline, we'd get far, far further toward 'saving the world' than any technological masterpiece could ever take us. Steve N. Lee author of eco-blog http://www.lionsledbysheep.com