Atlantis CSP - Concentrated Solar Power
  •  
  •    
    News:   All   Concentrated Solar Power   Clean Energy   Climate Change   Water Supply   Pollution
    Thu, 18th Nov 2021 16:30:00
    ‘A farce’: experts dismiss government claims a controversial and unproven technology will cut emissions by 15%
    Experts have questioned how a controversial energy technology that doesn’t currently exist in Australia could be earmarked as a major source of cuts to greenhouse gas emissions in the Morrison government’s plan to reach net zero by 2050. According to the government’s modelling report of its “technology not taxes” plan, a technique known as BECCS – bioenergy with carbon capture and storage – would be removing about 15% from the nation’s gross greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. But the approach, which involves burning vegetation or waste for power and then capturing the carbon dioxide and injecting it underground, is not one of the priority technologies the government has picked to support. The government’s modelling report has already come under fire from experts for questionable assumptions and an approach which leaves the gas industry to grow while relying on international offsets. Experts said it was not clear how the government had arrived at the BECCS figure, with some saying the technique itself was unproven, problematic and ecologically risky. BECCS theoretically requires three key elements – the availability of biomass such as trees, vegetation or waste and land and water to grow it; a power plant to burn the biomass and capture the CO2; and then a geological formation underground close by where the CO2 could be injected. There was no mention of BECCS in the government’s latest progress report on its low emissions technology plans, published earlier this month. According to the government’s modelling report, BECCS removes 38m tonnes of CO2 by 2050 under its technology plan, compared to 253Mt of gross emissions from sectors including electricity, transport and agriculture. Other scenarios modelled by the government include even higher levels of BECCS. BECCS is included in many global efforts to map out routes for economies to reach net zero, but remains controversial because of its potential to compete for land and resources currently used to produce food. Dr Kate Dooley, a researcher at the University of Melbourne and an expert on how land could be used to mitigate climate change, said based on the government’s numbers, about 14m hectares – or about 6% of all Australia’s agricultural land – would be needed to generate emissions reductions at that level. She said: “BECCS is an unproven technology with significant land area requirements which at a global scale have been shown to pose tradeoffs and serious risks for resource use, biodiversity, and food security.” Dooley said while Australia’s size meant there were good opportunities to cut emissions on land, much of this potential came in reducing clearing. She added: “Risky unproven technologies such as BECCS should be avoided in favour of options with greater co-benefits.” Energy and climate change program director at the Grattan Institute, Tony Wood, said including BECCS in the government’s planning at all “would be problematic because the report says it’s based on an assumption the technology is not economically viable in absence of incentives. “But there’s nothing in the report that describes what incentives would trigger such an investment. It’s imposed on the modelling without any justification, but it offsets a substantial amount of emissions. “These are extraordinary numbers to have in a report without any justification of how this would work, how it would happen and what the costs would be.” Tim Baxter, a senior researcher at the Climate Council, said the inclusion of BECCS in the government’s modelling was a “farce”. “The pretence that BECCS will get off the ground at this scale in Australia without careful, intelligent planning is absurd,” he said. Chief executive of Climate Analytics, Bill Hare, said BECCS will “likely work” but wasn’t yet proven at scale anywhere in the world. There has been little research carried out into the potential for BECCS in Australia. One study, published in 2018, did suggest a potential 25Mt of CO2 could be stored a year by 2050 through BECCS. But the research, from the University of Melbourne, was based on sourcing waste biomass “to avoid the ecological uncertainties and social challenges of dedicated energy crops.” A co-author of that study, Prof Peter Cook, who also consults to industry and government on carbon capture and storage (CCS), said he was not aware of any BECCS projects in Australia and only a small number overseas where government incentives were being provided. He said a challenge of combining bioenergy with CCS – which is among the government’s priority technologies – is “you can’t do it everywhere, you need the right rocks or you have to pipe [the CO2] a long way.” He said BECCS was feasible and was among several technologies that would be needed in the future to pull CO2 out of the atmosphere. But he added: “But it’s much better if we stop putting CO2 in the atmosphere in the first place.” On Thursday, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency released a roadmap to show the growth potential for the bioenergy industry in Australia. There was no mention of combining bioenergy with CCS. But the roadmap said growing the bioenergy industry could cut emissions, divert waste from landfill, and improve the nation’s fuel security. Guardian Australia asked emissions reduction minister Angus Taylor how the emissions reductions from BECCS were calculated for the report, why it wasn’t a priority technology, and where the government thought the biomass would be sourced from. A spokesperson for the minister said in a statement: “Consistent with other long term emissions modelling exercises, including work by the [International Energy Agency] and US, the [Global Trade and Environmental Model] includes BECCS. “Analysis by McKinsey does not include BECCS and achieves a similar net emissions outcome to the GTEM model. This illustrates that there are a range of technologies that will contribute to Australia achieving net zero emissions by 2050.”
    Read original full article
    #Carbon Capture
    #Climate Change
    #Environmental
    #Government Policies
    #Greenhouse Gas Emissions
     
         



    Back to Featured Articles
     
    LATEST NEWS
    Wed, 10th May 2023
    How bankruptcy helps the coal industry avoid environmental liability
    Jeff Hoops built Blackjewel into the nation’s sixth largest coal company by acquirin... more
    #Coal
    #Environmental
    #Investment
    #Social & Economic
    German lawmakers mull creating first citizen assembly
    German lawmakers are considering whether to create the country’s first “citizen as... more
    #Climate Change
    #Government Policies
    #Protests
    #Social & Economic
    Yousaf: Just transition away from oil and gas is a moral imperative
    The Scottish First Minister also said his Government will ‘rise to the challenge’ ... more
    #Alternative Energy
    #Carbon Footprint
    #Fossil Fuels
    #General Clean Energy
    #Government Policies
    #Social & Economic
    Labor’s hydrogen pledge a ‘great start’ but more needed to become global player, experts say
    Australian Hydrogen Council welcomes $2bn funding but MP Sophie Scamps calls it ‘a d... more
    #Government Policies
    #Hydrogen
    #Investment
    #Social & Economic
    Tue, 9th May 2023
    US support for nuclear power soars to highest level in a decade
    A Gallup survey released in late April found that 55 percent of U.S. adults support th... more
    #Carbon Footprint
    #Energy Supply
    #Government Policies
    #Nuclear
    #Social & Economic
    Italian oil firm Eni faces lawsuit alleging early knowledge of climate crisis
    Exclusive: Company accused of ‘lobbying and greenwashing’ for more fossil fuels de... more
    #Carbon Footprint
    #Climate Change
    #Environmental
    #Greenhouse Gas Emissions
    #Oil
    #Social & Economic
    Saudi oil group Aramco to pay more to state despite profits drop
    World’s largest energy company’s first-quarter profits fall by 19% to $32bn after ... more
    #Government Policies
    #Oil
    #Social & Economic
    Mon, 8th May 2023
    UN Forum on Forests: 5 things you need to know
    The sustainable management of the world’s forests takes centre stage at the UN Forum... more
    #Climate Change
    #Deforestation
    #Environmental
    #Government Policies
    #Social & Economic
    ‘Lack of vision’: UK green energy projects in limbo as grid struggles to keep pace
    Clean electricity plans stuck for years because of ‘negligence’ by governments ove... more
    #Alternative Energy
    #Climate Change
    #Energy Supply
    #General Clean Energy
    #Government Policies
    In Norway, the Electric Vehicle Future Has Already Arrived
    A traffic intersection in Oslo as the sun is setting. A vehicle is turning to the left... more
    #
    #Government Policies
    #Social & Economic
    #Transport
    Countries must forge ‘Global Blue Deal’ to protect the ocean: UNCTAD
    The ocean can provide vast opportunities for developing countries to build more innova... more
    #Climate Change
    #Environmental
    #Pollution General
    #Social & Economic
    #Water Pollution
    Sun, 7th May 2023
    Climate change: Vietnam records highest-ever temperature of 44.1C
    Vietnam has recorded its highest ever temperature, just over 44C (111F) - with experts... more
    #Climate Change
    #Environmental
    #Extreme Weather
    UK solar energy firm offers ‘shared’ scheme that could save £200 a year
    If you would love to have solar panels but don’t own your home or can’t afford the... more
    #Carbon Footprint
    #Energy Supply
    #General Clean Energy
    #Photovoltaic Solar Power
    #Social & Economic
    Canadian province of Alberta declares wildfire emergency
    Alberta has declared a state of emergency after wildfires spread across the western Ca... more
    #Environmental
    #Extreme Weather
    #Health
    #Wildfires
    Fri, 5th May 2023
    Filipino activists appeal to British banks over region devastated by oil spill
    Environmentalists from the Philippines urge investors to avoid LNG projects which they... more
    #Environmental
    #Health
    #Social & Economic
    Shell looks to sell off its stake in controversial Cambo oilfield
    Energy firm’s 30% stake in field off Shetlands up for sale amid fierce opposition to... more
    #Climate Change
    #Greenhouse Gas Emissions
    #Protests
    #Social & Economic
    Drought prompts French ban on garden swimming pools
    Garden swimming pools are to be banned from sale in a part of southern France over wor... more
    #Drought
    #Environmental
    #Fresh Water
    #Government Policies
    Thu, 4th May 2023
    Can Morocco solve Europe’s energy crisis?
    Morocco has big ambitions to export electricity produced by solar and wind farms to Eu... more
    #Concentrated Solar Power
    #Electricity
    #Energy Supply
    #Photovoltaic Solar Power
    Pro-Putin businessman emerges as pick to chair Italy’s biggest energy firm
    Fears appointing Paolo Scaroni as Enel CEO would undermine US and EU attempts to curb ... more
    #Fossil Fuels
    #Government Policies
    #Natural Gas
    #Social & Economic
    Wed, 3rd May 2023
    Northern Territory clears way for fracking to begin in Beetaloo Basin
    Environmental groups and scientists say move will have an unacceptable impact on the c... more
    #Climate Change
    #Government Policies
    #Natural Gas
    #Protests
    #Social & Economic
    New temperature records, food security threats likely as El Niño looms
    The development of an El Niño climate pattern in the Pacific Ocean this year is more ... more
    #Extreme Weather
    #Farming/Agriculture
    #Health
    #Social & Economic
    Snowy Hydro 2.0 project hit by delay of up to two years and another cost blowout
    Government-owned company pushes earliest start date of pumped hydro project to the sec... more
    #Government Policies
    #Hydrogen
    #Social & Economic
    Australia warned of ‘over-mining’ risk in race to secure minerals needed for clean energy
    Research says mining boom to support renewable energy risks ‘significant social and ... more
    #Alternative Energy
    #Construction
    #General Clean Energy
    #Government Policies
    #Social & Economic
    Tue, 2nd May 2023
    Climate change: life in ocean ‘twilight zone' at risk from warming
    Climate change could dramatically reduce life in the deepest parts of our oceans that ... more
    #Climate Change
    #Environmental
    #Pollution General
     
    Results: 4212   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176    
       


    Consultation & Development Enquiries
    Whatever stage your project is at find out how we can either help to
    improve production, reduce costs or assist with development
    Name
    Company/Regional Dept.  
    Email (Required)
    Telephone (Optional)
    Enquiry
    Spam Filter
    Enter only dark letters
    D E L U P A
     
    Your details will only be used for Atlantis CSP to contact you regarding this enquiry and will not be shared with any third party


    Energy News
    How bankruptcy helps the coal industry avoid environmental liability
    Wed, 10th May 2023 18:04:00
    German lawmakers mull creating first citizen assembly
    Wed, 10th May 2023 17:00:00
    Yousaf: Just transition away from oil and gas is a moral imperative
    Wed, 10th May 2023 14:15:00


    How bankruptcy helps the coal industry avoid environmental liability
    Wed, 10th May 2023 18:04:00
    German lawmakers mull creating first citizen assembly
    Wed, 10th May 2023 17:00:00
    Yousaf: Just transition away from oil and gas is a moral imperative
    Wed, 10th May 2023 14:15:00