#Carbon Capture Infrastructure

[electronalytics]

Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) Market Insights Includes Dynamics Key Players, Demand, Products, and Application 2017 – 2032

Overview of the Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) Market:

The carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) market involves technologies and processes aimed at capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from industrial and energy-related sources, transporting it, and securely storing it underground or utilizing it in other applications. CCS is a key strategy in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and addressing climate change by reducing CO2 emissions from fossil fuel-based power plants, industrial facilities, and other high-emitting sources.

Global Carbon Capture and Sequestration Market is valued at USD 2.1 Billion in 2022 and is projected to reach a value of USD 7.49 Billion by 2030 at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 19.9% over the forecast period 2023-2030.

Key Factors Driving the Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) Market:

Climate Change Mitigation: CCS plays a crucial role in mitigating climate change by capturing and storing CO2 emissions from major industrial and energy-related sources. As governments, organizations, and industries commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, CCS offers a viable solution for decarbonizing high-emitting sectors.

Policy and Regulatory Support: Government policies and regulations that incentivize or mandate the reduction of CO2 emissions provide a significant driver for the CCS market. Financial support, tax incentives, carbon pricing mechanisms, and emissions reduction targets create a favorable environment for CCS deployment and investment.

Energy Transition and Fossil Fuel Use: CCS technology enables the continued use of fossil fuels while reducing their carbon footprint. As the world transitions to cleaner energy sources, CCS can play a vital role in mitigating emissions from fossil fuel power plants and industrial processes during the transition period.

Industrial Emissions Reduction: Industries such as cement production, steel manufacturing, and chemical processing contribute to a significant share of global CO2 emissions. CCS can help these industries reduce their emissions by capturing and storing CO2 generated during their production processes.

Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR): CCS can be coupled with enhanced oil recovery techniques, where the captured CO2 is injected into oil reservoirs to extract additional oil. The revenue generated from EOR can provide economic incentives for implementing CCS projects.

Here's an overview of the demand and scope of the CCS market:

Demand:

Climate Change Mitigation: The primary driver of CCS demand is the urgent need to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and limit global warming. CCS offers a way to capture CO2 emissions from industrial processes and power plants before they are released into the atmosphere.

Regulatory Pressures: Governments and international organizations are implementing stricter emissions reduction targets. CCS can help industries comply with these regulations and avoid penalties.

Emission-Intensive Sectors: Industries such as power generation, cement production, steel manufacturing, and oil and gas extraction are major sources of CO2 emissions. These sectors have a high demand for CCS technologies to lower their carbon footprint.

Transition to Clean Energy: As renewable energy sources like wind and solar power grow, CCS can complement these efforts by capturing emissions from intermittent renewable sources and providing a stable source of low-carbon energy.

Scope:

Carbon Capture Technologies: CCS involves capturing CO2 emissions from various sources such as power plants, industrial facilities, and even directly from the air. Different capture technologies, such as post-combustion capture, pre-combustion capture, and oxyfuel combustion, offer diverse solutions for different industries.

Transport and Storage: Once captured, the CO2 needs to be transported and stored safely. This involves building pipelines to transport CO2 to storage sites, often deep underground in geological formations like depleted oil and gas reservoirs or saline aquifers.

Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR): Some CCS projects leverage the CO2 for enhanced oil recovery, a process where injected CO2 helps extract more oil from depleted wells while simultaneously storing the CO2 underground.

Policy and Incentives: Governments and organizations are providing financial incentives, subsidies, and grants to support CCS projects as part of their climate change mitigation strategies. The scope includes policy frameworks and regulatory mechanisms to encourage CCS adoption.

Research and Innovation: Ongoing research aims to improve the efficiency and affordability of CCS technologies. Innovations in materials, capture processes, and storage techniques expand the scope of CCS applications.

Global Cooperation: CCS requires international cooperation due to its potential for cross-border carbon transport and storage. Collaborative efforts between countries can enhance the effectiveness of CCS projects.

Public Perception and Education: Part of the scope involves raising awareness about CCS, addressing public concerns, and building public support for these technologies as a crucial tool in the fight against climate change.

We recommend referring our Stringent datalytics firm, industry publications, and websites that specialize in providing market reports. These sources often offer comprehensive analysis, market trends, growth forecasts, competitive landscape, and other valuable insights into this market.

By visiting our website or contacting us directly, you can explore the availability of specific reports related to this market. These reports often require a purchase or subscription, but we provide comprehensive and in-depth information that can be valuable for businesses, investors, and individuals interested in this market.

“Remember to look for recent reports to ensure you have the most current and relevant information.”

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Market Segmentations:

Global Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) Market: By Company

• Siemens

• Aker Solutions

• Fluor

• Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

• Halliburton

• Honeywell International

• Shell Global

• Maersk Oil

Global Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) Market: By Type

• Carbon Capture

• Carbon Sequestration

Global Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) Market: By Application

• Energy

• Industrial

• Agricultural

• Others

Global Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) Market: Regional Analysis

The regional analysis of the global Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) market provides insights into the market's performance across different regions of the world. The analysis is based on recent and future trends and includes market forecast for the prediction period. The countries covered in the regional analysis of the Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) market report are as follows:

North America: The North America region includes the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The U.S. is the largest market for Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) in this region, followed by Canada and Mexico. The market growth in this region is primarily driven by the presence of key market players and the increasing demand for the product.

Europe: The Europe region includes Germany, France, U.K., Russia, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, and Rest of Europe. Germany is the largest market for Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) in this region, followed by the U.K. and France. The market growth in this region is driven by the increasing demand for the product in the automotive and aerospace sectors.

Asia-Pacific: The Asia-Pacific region includes Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, China, Japan, India, South Korea, and Rest of Asia-Pacific. China is the largest market for Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) in this region, followed by Japan and India. The market growth in this region is driven by the increasing adoption of the product in various end-use industries, such as automotive, aerospace, and construction.

Middle East and Africa: The Middle East and Africa region includes Saudi Arabia, U.A.E, South Africa, Egypt, Israel, and Rest of Middle East and Africa. The market growth in this region is driven by the increasing demand for the product in the aerospace and defense sectors.

South America: The South America region includes Argentina, Brazil, and Rest of South America. Brazil is the largest market for Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) in this region, followed by Argentina. The market growth in this region is primarily driven by the increasing demand for the product in the automotive sector.

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Reasons to Purchase Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) Market Report:

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• To understand consumer behavior: this research reports can provide valuable insights into consumer behavior, including their preferences, purchasing habits, and demographics.

• To evaluate market opportunities: this research reports can help businesses evaluate market opportunities, including potential new products or services, new markets, and emerging trends.

• To make informed business decisions: this research reports provide businesses with data-driven insights that can help them make informed business decisions, including strategic planning, product development, and marketing and advertising strategies.

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[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - June 22-28

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles!

1. Scientists have made a freaky 3D printed gel that’s alive – and eats CO2 (twice over)

“The new material is made using a printable gel, which can be shaped using 3D printing and requires only sunlight and artificial seawater in order to grow. This is then incorporated with a photosynthetic bacteria, known as cyanobacteria[….] “As a building material, it could help to store CO2 directly in buildings in the future,” said ETH Professor Mark Tibbitt[….]”

2. What Zohran Mamdani's mayoral primary win means for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers

“[…] Mamdani ran on […] free buses, universal childcare, city-owned grocery stores, and a rent freeze on rent-stabilized apartments. He also advocated for human rights [in Gaza, Iran, and the US, as well as] expansion and protection of gender-affirming care across New York City [including sanctuary protections, and plans] to "expand and centralize the services, programs, and support LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers's needs across housing, employment, and more."”

3. UK Zoo Helps Hatch Three of World’s Rarest Birds–Blue-Eyed Doves–with Only 11 Left in Wild

“A UK zoo is celebrating after helping to hatch three of the world’s rarest birds in what could be a breakthrough moment in saving the critically-endangered species from extinction. The trio of blue-eyed ground dove chicks were successfully hand-reared in Brazil[….] “With the arrival of these three new individuals, Parque das Aves is now home to six blue-eyed ground doves. All are being carefully monitored and are part of a coordinated reproductive management plan.””

4. Restoring a River, Reconnecting a Community Along the Shores of Lake Michigan

“The restoration will expand public access to parks, trails, and green space throughout Gary [Indiana]. […] Crucially, the restoration plans have been shaped by ongoing community feedback[….] The project aims to restore 1.6 miles of natural river flow and reconnect the river to its historic channels and surrounding wetlands. More than 400 acres of reestablished habitat will benefit state-endangered marsh birds and declining amphibian and fish populations, while invasive species removal will ensure long-term ecological balance.”

5. Geothermal energy keeps utility bills low in this Texas neighborhood

“The development outside Austin taps into natural heat deep underground to run heating and cooling systems for the planned 7,500 homes [,…] three schools; 2 million square feet of commercial space; and 700 acres of park and outdoor community spaces. Habitat for Humanity is set to build affordable housing, which will hook up to the geothermal network. [… S]avings on utility bills for residents […] can run up to $2,000 a year — based on a third-party-verified Home Energy Rating System.”

June 15-21 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[just2bruce]

Carbon Capture for ships - current state

Some people think carbon capture onboard is going to be important in meeting emissions goals for ships. There is some entrepreneurship, and some interest by large oil producers and purveyors. However, many problems remain to be solved. There is essentially no ‘supply chain’ to handle the liquefied carbon product the ships produce onboard from running the carbon capture equipment. Liquid CO2 has…

[geoxx-carrboro]

Title: SUNKISS: A Solar-Powered Atmospheric Carbon Scrubbing Framework

Abstract: In an age where climate change solutions are often overengineered or underdelivered, we propose a refreshingly simple concept: use solar farms not to power cities, but to directly power large-scale atmospheric carbon scrubbers. We call this the SUNKISS model: Solar-Utilized Negative-Karbon Integrated Scrubbing System. The concept removes the middlemen—grids, batteries, and storage…

[thoughtlessarse]

High costs, local opposition and technical issues threaten the viability of the EU’s multi-billion euro gamble on CCS to decarbonise heavy industry. The European Union is betting on carbon capture and storage (CCS) to decarbonise heavy industrial emitters. The bloc has set ambitious capacity targets to that end: 50 million tonnes of CO2 annually by 2030, rising to 280 million tonnes in 2040. But this will require a huge scaling up. CCS involves capturing CO2 from industrial emitters or power factories, liquefying it, and transporting the CO2 via pipeline, trucks or ships before storing it underground in depleted oil or gas reservoirs or saline aquifers. Today, there are only five operational CCS projects in Europe, capturing a total of2.7 million tonnes of CO2 (MtCO2) each year. Of this,1.7 MtCO2 (63 per cent of the total) is for natural gas processing in Norway, which is outside of the EU. So the strategy requires building a complex infrastructure network from scratch at significant cost. The European Commission has said Europe might need 19,000 km of CO2 pipelines by 2050 to meet this target. These plans could cost taxpayers up to €140 billion by 2050, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. But a joint investigation by several European newsrooms shows that recurring problems with high costs and technical issues are already threatening the success of three major CO2 transport and storage projects receiving EU support. 

continue reading

Well, most of the infrastructure is there, but it's being used to transport gas that will eventually create more CO2. The whole CCS scheme was invented so that the fossil fuel industry could continue selling their products.

[trendynewsnow]

The Evolving Landscape of Climate Action Amid Political Change

The Evolving Landscape of Climate Action in the Face of Political Change As Donald Trump prepares for his return to Washington, many may perceive it as a daunting juncture for the climate change movement. The anticipated administration is not only poised to adopt a stance against the energy transition but may also withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement. In addition, there are…

[little-p-eng-engineering]

Little P.Eng. for Blue Hydrogen and Ammonia Engineering Services: A Comprehensive Engineering Aspect

Table of Contents

Introduction

Blue Hydrogen: An Overview

Importance of Engineering Services in Blue Hydrogen Production

Piping Stress Analysis

Structural Engineering

Seismic Engineering

Tank Design

Pressure Vessel Design

Ammonia Engineering Services: The Connection

Conclusion

1. Introduction

As the world accelerates its efforts to combat climate change, the focus on cleaner energy sources has never been sharper. Blue hydrogen, derived primarily from natural gas with the carbon emissions being captured and stored, presents a viable option in the pursuit of decarbonization. Its potential integration with ammonia production further highlights its significance. At the heart of this transformative energy landscape lies the vital role of engineering services. 'Little P.Eng.', a forerunner in this niche, offers specialized services such as piping stress analysis, structural and seismic engineering, and the design of tanks and pressure vessels. This article delves deep into these pivotal engineering domains and the implications for blue hydrogen and ammonia production.

2. Blue Hydrogen: An Overview

Blue hydrogen is produced when natural gas (primarily methane) undergoes steam methane reforming (SMR) to produce hydrogen and carbon dioxide. Unlike gray hydrogen, where CO2 is released into the atmosphere, blue hydrogen incorporates carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology. This ensures that a significant portion of the carbon emissions are captured and sequestered, making blue hydrogen a cleaner option.

3. Importance of Engineering Services in Blue Hydrogen Production

Engineering services ensure the efficiency, safety, and reliability of blue hydrogen production plants. Key considerations range from handling high pressures and temperatures to mitigating the effects of seismic events. Herein, Little P.Eng.'s expertise comes to the fore.

4. Piping Stress Analysis

Piping systems in hydrogen production facilities face stresses from internal pressures, thermal loads, and dynamic forces. Piping stress analysis ensures that pipes, flanges, and fittings can withstand these stresses without failure.

Objectives:

Safety of the piping system and its associated components.

Compliance with international standards, codes, and best practices.

Reduction of operational disruptions due to piping failures.

Little P.Eng. employs advanced computational tools and methodologies to evaluate the behavior of piping systems under various loading conditions, optimizing design and ensuring longevity.

5. Structural Engineering

Facilities producing blue hydrogen demand robust structures capable of supporting equipment, piping, and personnel.

Key Challenges:

Dynamic loads from equipment and flow-induced vibrations.

Corrosive environments due to the presence of hydrogen, steam, and other chemicals.

Little P.Eng.'s structural engineering services provide innovative solutions, ensuring that structures remain integral and safe throughout their operational life.

6. Seismic Engineering

Many industrial facilities are located in seismic zones. Earthquakes can be catastrophic for hydrogen production facilities, leading to leaks, explosions, and fires.

Seismic Analysis: Little P.Eng. evaluates potential seismic risks and designs structures and systems that can withstand seismic events. This encompasses:

Site-specific seismic hazard assessments.

Design of foundations and structural elements with sufficient ductility and resilience.

7. Tank Design

Storage tanks play a pivotal role in hydrogen and ammonia plants. They store feedstock, intermediate products, and final products.

Design Principles:

Safety: Ensuring that tanks do not leak or rupture.

Efficiency: Maximizing storage capacity while minimizing footprint.

Longevity: Ensuring resistance to corrosion, wear, and tear.

With advanced modeling and simulation, Little P.Eng. optimizes tank designs to meet these principles, while also adhering to strict regulatory standards.

8. Pressure Vessel Design

Pressure vessels in hydrogen production plants hold gases at high pressures. Their design is crucial for safety and efficiency.

Design Aspects:

Material selection to resist hydrogen embrittlement.

Wall thickness determination to withstand internal pressures.

Compliance with international standards, such as ASME codes.

Little P.Eng. employs a rigorous approach to pressure vessel design, ensuring optimal performance and safety.

9. Ammonia Engineering Services: The Connection

Ammonia, NH3, is produced by combining nitrogen from the air with hydrogen. As such, blue hydrogen can provide a clean hydrogen source for ammonia production. The engineering challenges in ammonia production mirror those of blue hydrogen: high pressures, corrosive environments, and the need for robust structures and equipment. Little P.Eng.'s suite of services naturally extends to this domain, further enhancing the synergies between blue hydrogen and ammonia production.

10. Conclusion

The transformation of the energy landscape hinges on the adoption of cleaner technologies, and blue hydrogen stands out in this endeavor. The role of engineering services, as championed by Little P.Eng., is paramount, ensuring that the transition is not just sustainable but also safe and efficient. From intricate piping designs to robust structural solutions, the contributions of engineering cannot be overstated. As we gaze into the future of energy, it's clear that the expertise of firms like Little P.Eng. will be at the very heart of this revolution.

Tags:

Engineering Services

Seismic Engineering

Little P.Eng.

Piping Stress Analysis

Structural Engineering

Material Selection

Tank Design

Pressure Vessels

ASME Codes

Clean Energy

Ammonia Production

Steam Methane Reforming

Computational Analysis

Infrastructure Safety

Blue Hydrogen

Carbon Capture

Simulation and Modeling

Ammonia Synthesis

Fluid Dynamics

Industrial Standards

Decarbonization

Load-bearing Structures

Industrial Integrity

Earthquake-Resilient Designs

Energy Transition

Environmental Factors

Hydrogen Storage

Seismic Zones

Foundation Designs

Hydrogen Embrittlement

Hydrogen Production Plant Design

Engineering Services

Structural Engineering Consultancy

Located in Calgary, Alberta; Vancouver, BC; Toronto, Ontario; Edmonton, Alberta; Houston Texas; Torrance, California; El Segundo, CA; Manhattan Beach, CA; Concord, CA; We offer our engineering consultancy services across Canada and United States. Meena Rezkallah.

[faultfalha]

The potential of Russia stretches far beyond what the world has ever seen before. Its capacities seem nearly endless, and yet the latest development has stunned even those with the most ambitious imaginations. Russia has identified an opportunity for the storage of 4.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide, a staggering amount. The implications of this advance are both awesome and unnerving. Already there's been talk of harnessing the power of carbon for a variety of commercial and industrial applications, but never on such a scale. To think that this many tons of carbon dioxide could be stored away with the potential of reaping a vast wealth of benefits is nothing short of extraordinary. The path to achieving this level of storage requires an impossibly intricate web of calculated efforts, and yet the possibilities resulting from such a venture have set minds to reeling. It would require a Herculean effort and an almost dizzying level of ingenuity, but the rewards it could bring are almost too irresistible to ignore.

[reasonsforhope]

"In the Canary Islands, in Barcelona, and in Chile, a unique fog catcher design is sustaining dry forests with water without emissions, or even infrastructure.

Replicating how pine needles catch water, the structure need only be brought on-site and set up, without roads, powerlines, or irrigation channels.

Fog catching is an ancient practice—renamed “cloud milking” by an EU-funded ecology project on the Canary Islands known as LIFE Nieblas (nieblas means fog).

“In recent years, the Canaries have undergone a severe process of desertification and we’ve lost a lot of forest through agriculture. And then in 2007 and 2009, as a result of climate change, there were major fires in forested areas that are normally wet,” said Gustavo Viera, the technical director of the publicly-funded project in the Canaries.

The Canaries routinely experience blankets of fog that cloak the islands’ slopes and forests, but strong winds made fog-catching nets an unfeasible solution. In regions such as the Atacama Desert in Chile or the Atlas Mountains of North Africa, erecting nets that capture moisture particles out of passing currents of fog is a traditional practice.

LIFE Nieblas needed a solution that could resist powerful winds, and to that end designed wind chime-like rows of artificial pine needles, which are also great at plucking moisture from the air. However, unlike nets or palms, they efficiently let the wind pass through them.

The water is discharged without any electricity. There are no irrigation channels, and no machinery is needed to transport the structures. The natural course of streams and creeks need not be altered, nor is there a need to drill down to create wells. The solution is completely carbon-free.

WATER IN THE DESERTS: 

China Announces Completion of a 1,800-Mile Green Belt Around the World’s Most-Hostile Desert

Billions of People Could Benefit from This Breakthrough in Desalination That Ensures Freshwater for the World

Scientists Perfecting New Way to Turn Desert Air into Water at Much Higher Yields

Sahara Desert Is Turning Green Amid Unusual Rains in Parts of North Africa

Indian Engineers Tackle Water Shortages with Star Wars Tech in Kerala

In the ravine of Andén in Gran Canaria, a 35.8-hectare (96 acres) mixture of native laurel trees irrigated by the fog catchers enjoys a survival rate of 86%, double the figure of traditional reforestation.

“The Canaries are the perfect laboratory to develop these techniques,” said Vicenç Carabassa, the project’s head scientist, who works for the Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications at the University of Barcelona. “But there are other areas where the conditions are optimal and where there is a tradition of water capture from fog, such as Chile and Morocco.”

In Chile’s Coquimbo province, the town of Chungungo is collecting around 250 gallons a day from a combination of locally-made fog catchers and LIFE Nieblas’ pine needle design, the Guardian reports."

-via Good News Network, December 30, 2024

[wachinyeya]

An intuitive piece of hardware is collecting days’ worth of renewable energy from airplane engine exhaust before take-off from a Dallas airport.

“Boarding is completed” is a common refrain heard over the intercom system in the moments before taxiing to the runway.

At that moment, the pilot will begin a series of engine tests and pre-flight checks during which time the turbine engines are idling with their ferocious noise and exhaust fumes.

A company called JetWind has realized that all that idling force is like the strong winds needed to power a wind turbine, and has built a series of pods that can capture it during the 5-10 minutes the aircraft is sitting at the gate waiting for clearance to taxi.

“The main goal of our project is to harness the consistent wind created by jets and convert it into an eco-friendly energy source,” JetWind’s founder and president Dr. T. O. Souryal told Interesting Engineering.

“What was once considered wasted energy can now benefit energy grids, ultimately promoting smarter and more sustainable infrastructure across the globe.”

Three years of testing between 2021 and 2024 have informed the official deployment of JetWind’s flagship product at Dallas Love Field airport. 13 sets of pods will sit beneath the gate hooked up to external batteries that connect to the grid the airport uses. Solar panels add to the energy generation, and the whole set can create about 30 kilowatt-hours of renewable energy, enough to power a family home for a few days.

While on its own it isn’t nearly what the average airport will consume during a day of operations, when combined with 12 other systems just like it, it can make a serious difference in reducing the carbon footprint of the building.

“Dallas Love Field has always been a hub of progress, and the introduction of JetWind’s Energy Capturing Pods reinforces its position as a testing ground for innovative technologies,” said former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert.

“By converting man-made wind into energy, we are highlighting Dallas as a leader in sustainable solutions and proving that cities can take significant steps toward tackling global energy challenges.”

The debut of the JetWind pods at Love Field has attracted attention from around the globe, including companies and governments from Switzerland, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Ecuador, the UK, France, and Australia.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Electrons, not molecules

I'm on tour with my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me in TUCSON (Mar 9-10), then SAN FRANCISCO (Mar 13), Anaheim, and more!

When hydrocarbon barons do their damndest to torch the Earth with fossil fuels, they call us dreamers. They insist that there's a hard-nosed reality – humanity needs energy – and they're the ones who live in it, while we live in the fairy land where the world can run on sunshine and virtuous thoughts. Without them making the tough decisions, we'd all be starving in the frigid dark.

Here's the thing: they're full of shit.

Mostly.

Humanity does need energy if we're going to avoid starving in the frigid dark, but that energy doesn't have to come from fossil fuels. Indeed, in the long-term, it can't. Even if you're a rootin' tootin, coal-rollin' climate denier, there's a hard-nosed reality you can't deny: if we keep using fossil fuels, they will someday run out. Remember "peak oil" panic? Fossil fuels are finite, and the future of the human race needn't be. We need more.

Thankfully, we have it. Despite what you may have heard, renewables are more than up to the task. Indeed, it's hard to overstate just how much renewable energy is available to us, here at the bottom of our gravity well. I failed to properly appreciate it until I read Deb Chachra's brilliant 2023 book, How Infrastructure Works:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/17/care-work/#charismatic-megaprojects

Chachra, an engineering prof and materials scientist, offers a mind-altering reframing of the question of energy: we have a material problem, not an energy problem. If we could capture a mere 0.4% of the sun's rays that strike the Earth, we could give every person on the planet the energy budget of a Canadian (like an American, only colder).

Energy isn't just wildly abundant, though: it's also continuously replenished. For most of human history, we've treated energy as scarce, eking out marginal gains in energy efficiency – even as we treated materials as disposable, using them once and consigning them to a midden or a landfill. That's completely backwards. We get a fresh shipment of energy every time the sun (or the moon) comes up over the horizon. By contrast, new consignments of material are almost unheard of – the few odd ounces of meteoric ore that survive entry through Earth's atmosphere.

A soi-dissant adult concerned with the very serious business of ensuring our species isn't doomed to the freezing, starving darkness of an energy-deprived future would think about nothing save for this fact and its implications. They'd be trying to figure out how to humanely and responsibly gather the materials needed for the harvest, storage and distribution of this nearly limitless and absolutely free energy.

In other words, that Very Serious, Hard-Nosed Grown-Up should be concerned with using as few molecules as possible to harvest as many electrons as possible. They'd be working on things like turning disused coal-mines into giant gravity batteries:

https://www.euronews.com/green/2024/02/06/this-disused-mine-in-finland-is-being-turned-into-a-gravity-battery-to-store-renewable-ene

Not figuring out how to dig or flush more long-dead corpses out of the Earth's mantle to feed them into a furnace. That is a profoundly unserious response to the human need for energy. It's caveman shit: "Ugh, me burn black sticky gunk, make cave warm, cough cough cough."

Enter Exxon CEO Darren Woods, whose interview with Fortune's Michal Lev-Ram and editor Alan Murray contains this telling quote: "we basically focus our technology on transforming molecules and they happen to be hydrogen and carbon molecules":

https://fortune.com/2024/02/28/leadership-next-exxonmobil-ceo-darren-woods/

As Bill McKibben writes, this is a tell. A company that's in the molecule business is not in the electron business. For all that Woods postures about being a clear-eyed realist beating back the fantasies of solarpunk-addled greenies, Woods does not want a future where we have all our energy needs met:

https://billmckibben.substack.com/p/the-most-epic-and-literal-gaslighting

That's because the only way to get that future is to shift from molecules – whose supply can be owned and therefore sold by Exxon – to electrons, which that commie bastard sun just hands out for free to every person on our planet's surface, despite the obvious moral hazard of all those free lunches. As Woods told Fortune, when it comes to renewables, "we don’t see the ability to generate above-average returns for our shareholders."

Woods dresses this up in high-minded seriousness kabuki, saying that Exxon is continuing to invest in burning rotting corpses because our feckless species "waited too long to open the aperture on the solution sets terms of what we need as a society." In other words, it's just too late for solar. Keep shoveling those corpses into the furnace, they're all that stands between you and the freezing, starving dark.

Now, this is self-serving nonsense. The problem of renewables isn't that it's too late – it's that they don't "generate above-average returns for our shareholders" (that part, however, is gospel truth).

But let's stipulate that Woods sincerely believes that it is too late. It's pretty goddamned rich of this genocidal, eminently guillotineable monster to just drop that in the conversation without mentioning the role his company played in getting us to this juncture. After all, #ExxonKnew. 40 years ago, Exxon's internal research predicted climate change, connected climate change to its own profits, and predicted how bad it would be today.

Those predictions were spookily accurate and the company took them to heart, leaping into action. For 40 years, the company has been building its offshore drilling platforms higher and higher in anticipation of rising seas and superstorms – and over that same period, Exxon has spent millions lobbying and sowing disinformation to make sure that the rest of us don't take the emergency as seriously as they are, lest we switch from molecules to electrons.

Exxon knew, and Exxon lied. McKibben quotes Woods' predecessor Lee Raymond, speaking in the runup to the Kyoto Treaty negotiations: "It is highly unlikely that the temperature in the middle of the next century will be significantly affected whether policies are enacted now or 20 years from now."

When Woods says we need to keep shoveling corpses into the furnace because we "waited too long to open the aperture on the solution sets terms of what we need as a society," he means that his company lied to us in order to convince us to wait too long.

When Woods – and his fellow enemies of humanity in the C-suites of Chevron and other corpse-torching giants – was sending the arson billions to his shareholders, he held back a healthy share to fund this deceit. He colluded with the likes of Joe Manchin ("[D-POLLUTION]" -McKibben) to fill the Inflation Reduction Act with gifts for molecules. The point of fantasies like "direct air carbon-capture" is to extend the economic life of molecule businesses, by tricking us into thinking that we can keep sending billions to Exxon without suffocating in its waste-product.

These lies aren't up for debate. Back in 2021, Greenpeace tricked Exxon's top DC lobbyist Keith McCoy into thinking that he was on a Zoom call with a corporate recruiter and asked him about his work for Exxon, and McCoy spilled the beans:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/07/01/basilisk-tamers/#exxonknew

He confessed to everything: funding fake grassroots groups and falsifying the science – he even names the senators who took his bribes. McCoy singled out Manchin for special praise, calling him "a kingmaker" and boasting about the "standing weekly calls" Exxon had with Manchin's office.

Exxon's response to this nine-minute confession was to insist that their most senior American lobbyist "wasn't involved at all in forming policy positions."

McKibben points to the forthcoming book The Price Is Wrong, by Brett Christophers, which explains how the neoclassical economics establishment's beloved "price signals" will continue to lead us into the furnace:

https://www.versobooks.com/products/3069-the-price-is-wrong

The crux of that book is:

We cannot expect markets and the private sector to solve the climate crisis while the profits that are their lifeblood remain unappetizing.

Nearly 100 years ago, Upton Sinclair wrote, "It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it." Today, we can say that it's impossible to get an oil executive to understand that humanity needs electrons, not molecules, because his shareholders' obscene wealth depends on it.

Name your price for 18 of my DRM-free ebooks and support the Electronic Frontier Foundation with the Humble Cory Doctorow Bundle.

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - February 8-14

(I’m finally starting to get better from having had pneumonia for 2+ weeks, hopefully next week’s news should be on time)

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles!

1. Solar-powered device captures carbon dioxide from air to make sustainable fuel

“[The] solar-powered reactor could be used to make fuel to power cars and planes[.… It] does not require fossil-fuel-based power, or the transport and storage of carbon dioxide, but instead converts atmospheric CO2 into something useful using sunlight.”

2. How artificial light can boost coral reef recovery

“UZELA is [an autonomous submersible] designed to attract zooplankton […] by emitting specific wavelengths of light. [… In a ”six-month testing period,” it] significantly increased local zooplankton density and boosted the feeding rates of both healthy and bleached coral.”

3. Next-gen solar cells now fully recyclable with water-based method

“The recycled solar cell has the same efficiency as the original one. The solar cell is made of perovskite and the main solvent is water. […] They are not only relatively inexpensive and easy to manufacture but also lightweight, flexible and transparent.”

4. Green walls cool cities and create urban habitats

“The researchers measured a cooling effect of up to 0.6–0.7 degrees Celsius [… which] could help combat the urban heat island phenomenon. […] The researchers [also] found that plant-covered facades hosted over 100 animal species, including insects, spiders, and birds.”

5. Major cause of honeybee mortality can be easily reduced

“If treatment occurs too soon, it may not fully eliminate the mites, allowing them to rebound before the season ends. […] Similar to antibiotic-resistant bacteria, mites that survive mistimed or improperly applied treatments become more resistant to future applications.”

6. Uganda community group restores shea groves and livelihoods

“As part of a larger effort to restore Uganda’s shea parklands, the cooperative has successfully rehabilitated more than 500 hectares (1,240 acres) of degraded land, integrating shea trees (Vitellaria paradoxa) and other native species with maize and sunflower crops.”

7. Senate Renews Commitment to the Great Lakes

“The [Act] represents the most significant federal investment in the health of the Great Lakes, addressing critical challenges such as pollution, invasive species, and habitat restoration. The Great Lakes […] hold 20 percent of the world’s surface freshwater[….]”

8. Earth Gets Its Largest Protected Tropical Forest Reserve

“The Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor will […] protect 108,000 square kilometres of primary forest and support 60 million people who depend on the forest for food, energy and jobs. […] Through this approach, the DRC is empowering local communities to protect the forest while fostering economic growth.”

9. Australia’s Rarest Bird of Prey Spotted in Central Australia After 30 Years

“Dr. Henderson’s finding is an encouraging sign of the health of the sanctuary’s ecosystems as well as the bird’s continued migration into new areas. This bird’s presence in the sanctuary is particularly significant as it is the first confirmed sighting in the region since the mid-1990s.”

10. Australian company wins contract to design “hydrogen ready” high speed ferry

“The ferry, the Horizon X, will have capacity for 1,650 passengers and 450 cars, and will be able to travel at a speed of up to 35 knots. […] The ship will also have a specially-designed propulsion system arrangement that repurposes exhaust from the engine to help propel the vessel, in theory reducing its emissions.”

February 1-7 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[mariacallous]

Imitation caviar invented in the 1930s could provide the solution to plastic pollution, claims Pierre Paslier, CEO of London-based packaging company Notpla. He discovered the cheap food alternative, invented by Unilever and made using seaweed, after quitting his job as a packaging engineer at L’Oréal.

With cofounder and co-CEO Rodrigo García González, Paslier and Notpla have extended the idea, taking a protein made from seaweed and creating packaging for soft drinks, fast food, laundry detergent, and cosmetics, among other things. They’re also branching out into cutlery and paper.

“Seaweed grows quickly and needs no fresh water, land, or fertilizer,” Paslier explains. “It captures carbon and makes the surrounding waters less acidic. Some species of seaweed can grow up to a meter a day.” Best of all, he says, packaging made from seaweed is completely biodegradable because it’s entirely nature-based.

Paslier noted an amazing coincidence—Alexander Parkes invented the first plastic in Hackney Wick, the same part of East London that, 100 years later, Notpla calls home. Since Parkes’ first invention, waste plastic—especially tiny particles known as microplastics, which take hundreds or thousands of years to break down into harmless molecules—has been wreaking havoc in ecosystems across the world.

Plastic pollution is proving especially damaging in the marine environment, where tiny beads of plastic are deadly to the vital microorganisms that make up plankton and which sequester 30 percent of our carbon emissions, “without us having to build any new fancy technologies,” Paslier says.

Notpla’s plans to replace plastic began with a drink container for marathons. This is, in effect, a very large piece of fake caviar—a small pouch that contains juice or water that athletes can pop in their mouths and swallow when they need rehydration. “We wanted to create something that would feel more like fruit; packaging that you could feel comes more from picking something from a tree than off a production line,” he says.

Paslier showed pictures of two postrace streets—one where refueling came in plastic containers and one where it came in edible Notpla. The first was littered with plastic bottles; the second completely waste-free.

The next step was takeout food containers. Even containers we think are cardboard contain plastic, he says, as grease from food would make plain cardboard too soggy. Working with delivery company Just Eat, Notpla has pioneered a replacement for the per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS), the so-called “forever chemical” plastics that currently line cardboard takeout containers. It has even found a way to retrofit its solution into the old PFAS plant, so there was no need to build new factories.

The company is developing soluble sachets for detergent pods, ice-cream scoops, and even paper packing for cosmetics. And there’s plenty of seaweed to experiment with, Paslier points out. “You don’t realize it’s already available massively at scale,” he says. “It’s in our toothpaste, it’s in our beer, it’s in our reduced-fat products—so there’s an existing infrastructure that we can work with without having to build any additional processes.”

[artielu]

Listen up.

We knew this was coming but it's really, really fucking bad. We're in the endgame now.

For all of you who are somehow still on the fence about voting for Biden, the Supreme Court, including THREE JUDGES HE APPOINTED, just gave Trump a nearly blank fucking check.

And if he's elected in November, he's going to appoint another two people to SCOTUS to replace conveniently retiring Thomas and Alito, and maybe another if Sotomayor's health continues to decline. That's five or six ultraconservative justices in their 50s who will be on the Court for the next thirty to forty years. DECADES of ultraconservative decisions.

------

"The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision along ideological lines, ruled that a former president has absolute immunity for his core constitutional powers — and is entitled to a presumption of immunity for his official acts, but lacks immunity for unofficial acts. But at the same time, the court sent the case back to the trial judge to determine which, if any of Trump's actions, were part of his official duties and thus were protected from prosecution.

That part of the court’s decision likely ensures that the case against Trump won’t be tried before the election, and then only if he is not reelected.

If he is reelected, Trump could order the Justice Department to drop the charges against him, or he might try to pardon himself in the two pending federal cases.

[ . . .]

Monday's Supreme Court decision came months after the court agreed to hear the case Feb. 28 and scheduled arguments for two months later. Court critics have noted that the justices could have considered the case as early as in December, when Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith unsuccessfully sought review of the same questions later put forward by Trump."

-----

IF WE DO NOT ELECT BIDEN, THIS COULD SERIOUSLY BE THE END OF DEMOCRACY IN THE UNITED STATES.

Biden is a decent, imperfect man. He's chosen a really spectacular, diverse, qualified team of people surrounding him, including

VP Kamala Harris, Black Asian woman, smart as hell, fiercely pro choice

Transportation Pete Buttigieg, gay father, working on safety, infrastructure, airline compensation when airlines fuck us, and healing neighborhoods slashed by racist highway plans decades ago

Interior Deb Halaand, the first native person to head the department which has relations with indigenous peoples and has massively invested in indigenous communities and protecting the environment

Energy Jennifer Granholm, who is working hard to help green our energy grid and funding billions in carbon capture and renewable energy sources

And on the other side is 34 TIME CONVICTED FELON and his shady ass corrupt cabinet of family members, cronies, and criminals.

How is this even a question?!?!

[freenorthnow]

There's no need for experimental 'carbon capture' when we know this much investment in public transport and cycling infrastructure would be cheaper, faster, and better for all of us.

[combinecremator]

something really interesting about how all the concepts for kalos have a lot to do with energy infrastructure, to me. dendemille's solar-power windmill, all the strange stuff going on at the power plant, and concept art what looks to be a bioenergy/carbon capture facility. and because i love pulling themes and relevance out of my ass it makes me think about all the places where lysandre says that he's tried everything to make kalos beautiful. do you think he funded all that? i think it's interesting to think of him investing so heavily into energy, maybe doing philanthropy, but becoming disillusioned with it when he realizes that he can't fix the "ugliness" that he sees in the world by throwing money at it. and rather than begin to investigate, i dunno, the systems at play that make meaningful change impossible, he decides to try and take it all back, and eventually destroy it all.

idk man there's something in here about the shortsightedness of the ultrarich and they way it descends into us-vs-them, fashy ways of thinking, but i'm at work so i'm not connecting all the strings