Clean Energy, Climate and Carbon

Clean Energy, Climate and Carbon outlines the global challenge of decreasing greenhouse gas emissions (specifically CO2). With the general reader in mind, it covers the changing concentration of atmospheric CO2through time and its causes, before considering the promise and the limitations of a wide range of energy technologies for decreasing CO2emissions. Despite the need to decrease CO2, the fact is that the global use of fossil fuels is increasing and is likely to continue to do so for some decades to come. The book considers in detail, what for many people is the unfamiliar clean energy technology of carbon capture and storage (CCS). How can we capture CO2from flue gases? How do we transport it? How do we store it in suitable rocks? What are suitable rocks and where do we find them? How do we know the CO2will remain trapped once it is injected underground? What does CCS cost and how do those costs compare with other technology options? All of these are key issues which contribute to how the community views and accepts, or not, this important technology option. What are the risks involved in using CCS to mitigate atmospheric concentrations of CO2, and given the ongoing use of fossil fuels, do we really have any realistic alternatives? These are complex issues and therefore there is extensive use of diagrams to explain unfamiliar technologies and complex ideas. The book also explores the political environment in which the discussion on clean energy technology options is occurring. What will a price on carbon do for technology uptake and what are the prospects of cutting our emissions by 2020 and of making even deeper cuts by 2050? What will the technology mix look like by that time? For people who are concerned about climate change, or who want to learn more about clean energy technologies, including CCS, this is the definitive view of the opportunities and the challenges we face in decreasing emissions despite a seemingly inexorable global increase in energy demand.