Carbon Capture concept (via U.S. Depatement of Energy)
Carbon capture sequestration is a technology in which many byproducts of refining and the general energy producing process, where pollutants like carbon, sulfur dioxide, mercury and nitrous oxide, are mostly filtered from entering the atmosphere. This technology eliminates 90% of the carbon 99% of sulfur dioxide, 90% of nitrogen oxide and 99% of mercury emissions emitted from coal power plants. Oil companies, along with oil producing countries like Saudi Arabia, have been pushing the technology in hope fossil fuels will seem less destructive and will stay extremely profitable. Using this technology, carbon can be contained in underground reservoirs and can be used for industrial processes as well as a product to sell, which obviously increases its popularity amongst investors.
The European Union finally accepted the use of CCS in its plan to reduce carbon this past December. In the U.S., CPS Energy of San Antonio has also agreed to purchase energy from the Texas Clean Energy Project. This Texas project will also use an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plant, and will still emit 10% of the carbon emitted by old power plants.
Around 2.9 million metric tons of CO2 is captured, annually, at these facilities. Of which, 2.4 metric tons (83%) are used to push out every last drop of oil at the West Texas Permian Basin oil field. The rest will be sold to whoever may need it. They claim that most of the CO2 is stopped from entering the atmosphere, but the claim is dubious.
This technology is sure to reduce a lot of the damaging effects of fossil fuels. However, if we aim to achieve sustainability, focusing resources on increasing the drilling of and use of extremely finite fuels, is obviously veering form a sustainable path. Immediately the drilling required violates the sustainability of natural environments and will always require the use of more precious fresh water usage and increase pollution.
Coal gasification concept (via Texas Clean Energy Project)
There are truly viable clean energy technologies that are nowhere as destructive, nor dirty or depleting and would certainly solve the energy crisis. Yet they are impeded by claims of not enough money. It would be possible for people to focus more resources to mass manufacturing them if there was not already so much old money in oil and such a lack of monetary agreement for profit in renewable energies. It is clear those companies have a seemingly controlling influence on the federal government and will not stop till they find a way for their particular business to grow despite the ecological harmony dictated by nature or its sustainability.
Huge amounts of aid and funding were given to the Texas Clean Energy Project by the U.S. government alone: $450 million from the U.S. Department of Energy and $211 millions from the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act”. But this only accounts for 27% of the final cost of one power plant. The rest of the $2.4 billion will be obtained from investors. This technology will come at a price higher than simply harnessing clean renewable energy. It is the profits forecasted which have lured investors and sparked the promise for CCS technology to become wide spread. It is easy to see that the federal and corporate governments see money as the resource, but fail to see the value in sustaining their people and the other precious resources we inherit from the earth.
One obvious question is whether we should aim to thoroughly deplete natural fossil fuels at all. These resources are extremely precious, finite, and the corner stone in many present applications, but the future is surely to find an alternative. CCS technology is sure to clean up the industry a lot and should be implemented any ways. If only we acted on some value other than money.
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