Short-term changes in climate tech deployment

🌍 The article "Direct Air capture (DAC) deployment: A review of the industrial deployment" in Chemical Engineering Science examines the current state of DAC technology and its potential to contribute to significant CO2 emission reductions by 2030. Key Takeaways: 1️⃣ DAC is considered a key technology for achieving net-zero emissions, particularly for addressing the 30% of current greenhouse gas emissions needing reduction by 2030. 2️⃣ The article uses the IEA's TRL scale for disruptive technologies to assess the maturity of different DAC approaches. While some technologies show promise and are nearing industrial deployment (TRL 7-9), the jump to full commercialization and widespread adoption (TRL 11) within the next seven years is considered unlikely due to time and investment constraints. 3️⃣ Current DAC deployment is limited to small-scale pilot projects, with a total capture capacity far below the gigaton scale required for substantial emission reductions. Even planned projects fall short of the needed capacity by 2030. Challenges to Deployment: ✴️ Scaling up from pilot projects to large industrial facilities within the short timeframe is a significant hurdle. Some companies are attempting to scale up rapidly without sufficient intermediate validation. ✴️ DAC requires substantial quantities of materials, especially metals, some of which are also critical for other green technologies. Competition for these materials, coupled with potential supply chain bottlenecks and price increases, could hinder DAC deployment. ✴️ DAC can be energy-intensive and costly, particularly compared to conventional CO2 capture from flue gas. Rising energy prices and geopolitical factors could further impede the economic viability of DAC. ✴️ Public acceptance, policy support, and incentives are crucial for facilitating DAC deployment. ✴️ The pressing need for emissions reductions by 2030 leaves a limited timeframe for the development, deployment, and scaling up of DAC technologies. ✴️ Significant investments are required for the construction and operation of large-scale DAC facilities. ✴️ More research and field testing are needed to validate the long-term performance and stability of DAC technologies, including the durability of materials and the potential for environmental impacts. Opportunities: ✅ Ongoing research and development into novel adsorbents, solvents, and electrochemical processes could lead to more efficient and cost-effective DAC technologies. ✅ Optimizing process designs, such as contactor design and integration of carbon utilization within the capture process, can improve the efficiency and reduce the energy consumption of DAC. ✅ Government policies and incentives, including carbon pricing mechanisms and support for R&D, can create a more favorable environment for DAC deployment. #DirectAirCapture #DAC #CarbonRemoval #ClimateChange #EmissionsReductions #TechnologyReadinessLevel #TRL #Decarbonization #EnergyTransition

The ClimateTech Policy Coalition - a group of organisations including techUK, Startup Coalition, Undaunted: Tackling climate change with innovation, Cleantech for UK, Tech Nation & Tech Zero - has published its annual report outlining short-term opportunities for the #Government to scale technologies in order to combat #climatechange. The policy actions and quick wins suggested include: ▶️ Establish a regulatory sandbox for innovative waste reuse, integrating the circular economy. Leverage the newly created Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO) for coordination ▶️ Update Plastic Definitions: Amend the Finance Act 2021 to clarify “plastic” in the Plastic Packaging Tax, ensuring natural polymers are not disadvantaged ▶️ Introduce a retrofit sandbox under RIO to help startups navigate regulatory barriers in deploying innovative technologies for domestic retrofits ▶️ Support Voluntary Carbon Markets (VCM): Maintain timelines to consult on high-quality VCM standards in 2025, ensuring market integrity and distinguishing credit types ▶️ Funding for Greenhouse Gas Removal: Define qualification criteria and robust monitoring standards to enable GHG removal credits under the UK ETS, incorporating industry best practices ▶️ Novel Food Authorisation Reform: Streamline approval processes for cultivated meat and other novel foods post-Brexit to support sector growth, supported by RIO-led initiatives ▶️ Agricultural Robotics Regulations: Reform regulations on agricultural automation as part of the Labour Government's 2025 Food Strategy, unlocking innovation to address labour shortages #climatetech #sustainability #sustainabletech #policy

IEA released today its 2023 Net Zero Roadmap, which builds on its 2021 report and outlines the actions that need to be taken in the global energy sector to limit global warming to 1.5°C. It states that large-scale technologies, such as CCUS, liquid biofuel or hydrogen-based steel production, have seen slower deployment over the last decade than smaller mass manufactured and modular technologies. For example, less new CO2 capture capacity was added between 2015 and 2022 than between 2010 and 2015. Large-scale technologies usually need to be tailored to site-specific conditions and, due to their large unit sizes, offer fewer opportunities for learning-by-doing advances than smaller and more modular technologies. This tends to mean slower cost improvements. Some large-scale technologies are not yet available on the market, which also hinders immediate commercial deployment. In recent years, however, the number of announced projects for large-scale technologies has increased significantly. For example, the number of CCUS projects in the pipeline nearly tripled in 2021 and have nearly doubled again since then driven by stronger policy support, particularly in the United States. If all projects in the pipeline were realised, CO2 capture capacity would expand more than eight-fold, rising from about 45 Mt today to reach nearly 400 Mt per year in 2030, and CO2 storage capacity would increase to comparable levels. However, so far only about 5% of announced projects have reached the final investment decision stage. Rapid acceleration of the deployment of large-scale, site-specific technologies will require additional policy support, including through measures to encourage investment in key enabling infrastructure such as CO2 storage facilities, to facilitate the demonstration and commercialisation of emerging technologies, and to create larger and more international markets for low-emissions products.