Mitigating anthropogenic climate change with aqueous green energy

Area of Science:

• Climate Science
• Renewable Energy Technology
• Carbon Capture and Storage

Background:

• Limiting global warming to 2°C necessitates significant reductions in atmospheric CO2.
• Direct air CO2 capture and storage (DACCS) is a key technology for CO2 removal but is energy-intensive.
• Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) provides a renewable energy source by utilizing ocean temperature differences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the potential of combining DACCS with OTEC for effective CO2 mitigation.
• To assess the economic viability and storage permanence of this integrated approach.
• To quantify the impact of OTEC-powered DACCS on global temperature warming.

Main Methods:

• Integration of DACCS technology with OTEC power generation on floating platforms.
• Utilizing deep marine sediments for secure and permanent CO2 storage.
• Modeling the long-term effects of sustained OTEC-DACCS operation on global climate.

Main Results:

• OTEC can power DACCS at a cost competitive with coal-fired power plants.
• Deep marine sediment storage offers a safe and permanent solution for captured CO2.
• 70 years of OTEC-powered DACCS could reduce relative global mean temperature warming by up to 35% compared to business-as-usual scenarios.

Conclusions:

• The combination of OTEC and DACCS presents a scalable and sustainable pathway for atmospheric CO2 reduction.
• This integrated system offers a cost-effective and environmentally sound method for climate change mitigation.
• Widespread deployment of OTEC-powered DACCS is crucial for achieving net-zero emissions targets and limiting global warming.