Lately I have been reading a report on a technology called Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), aiming at reducing the CO2 emission of the currently running power plants. A lot is going on with renewable energies but unfortunately CCS is not really the most popular guy in the school-yard. The main problem comes from the fact that the technology is hiting a lack of public awareness of the way the technology works and its benefits. So when the projects come fresh out of the Owen to the board's desk it is almost immediately accepted, but when the budget comes the board instinctively will look at the reasons of running CCS versus Solar or Wind energies (see the part when the report say that CCS is not moving fast enough). These two have the top of the charts because... because they're cool!! A sequel of the flower power generation?? The numbers are not giving them 2 boys the advantage; CCS is a bit of the nerd one with the big glasses, the dental iron and the rushing acne that make him look like a sludgy pizza! Though he's way smarter than the 2 others beating him at football and more successful with the girls. OK now it's a bit of a caricature but unfortunately there are some truth in it. CCS looks not cool, it's a lot of chemical separators (this is enough to depress most of us so ugly it is!)
that you hook on some old coal/fossil fuel power generator. After that you need to put all this CO2 somewhere so either you put it back to the ground (and most get scared of leaks) or you use it to help produce more oil from the current fields. All that uncoolness makes you immediately think you are not solving the problem but delaying it. The thing is: first, the storage is not going to crack the Earth because we are not going to do it anyhow (carbon dioxide ground storage is 30 years old) and second, at equal mass of CO2 avoided a solar or wind power station is about 2000-3000 time bigger in foot print than a traditional coal/fossil fuel power generator with a CCS facility hooked in it. All this doesn't mean these 2 good looking school boys with the wind spreading through their blond hairs bathed by the sun wont be successful
adults, it means that there is space for all three of them for different reasons and eventually we'll need them all. One thing I remember is that workshop that we had in Rio a couple of month ago between various industries and universities around the CO2-CCS related technologies. There was no officials, nobody from local or national council to account for what we are doing. I felt something was missing because it doesn't matter what is being done, what is being said if actually "nobody" aknowledge it , if "nobody" hears it. Here is a link of how is CO2-CCS perceived by all non specialists and it makes you realize how we need to communicate in order to break preconceived ideas and the fears that built through it.
that you hook on some old coal/fossil fuel power generator. After that you need to put all this CO2 somewhere so either you put it back to the ground (and most get scared of leaks) or you use it to help produce more oil from the current fields. All that uncoolness makes you immediately think you are not solving the problem but delaying it. The thing is: first, the storage is not going to crack the Earth because we are not going to do it anyhow (carbon dioxide ground storage is 30 years old) and second, at equal mass of CO2 avoided a solar or wind power station is about 2000-3000 time bigger in foot print than a traditional coal/fossil fuel power generator with a CCS facility hooked in it. All this doesn't mean these 2 good looking school boys with the wind spreading through their blond hairs bathed by the sun wont be successful
adults, it means that there is space for all three of them for different reasons and eventually we'll need them all. One thing I remember is that workshop that we had in Rio a couple of month ago between various industries and universities around the CO2-CCS related technologies. There was no officials, nobody from local or national council to account for what we are doing. I felt something was missing because it doesn't matter what is being done, what is being said if actually "nobody" aknowledge it , if "nobody" hears it. Here is a link of how is CO2-CCS perceived by all non specialists and it makes you realize how we need to communicate in order to break preconceived ideas and the fears that built through it.
One thing people tend to forget: the traditional power plants are build for half a century, so better make them carbon efficient because nobody will shut them down till they're too old. Wind and Solar are amazing stuff (and not only them) don't get me wrong but I believe the attention should be more harmoniously distributed.
