Happy friday! Nick here, who stands in for Tristan while enjoying his life in the French Alps. (I may never forgive him).
As violent storms like Hurricane Ida become more common as we collectively destroy the only planet we live on, scientists are looking for a new technology that enables a much more active climate solution: carbon capture.
The latest attempt is one new facility opened in Iceland by Climeworks , and it could serve as a blueprint for the future.
- The Orca facility opened on Wednesday and can extract 4,000 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere annually.
- Compared to other air conditioning solutions, this one is easy to use. It simply pushes air into filters with large fans, which capture CO2 and mix it with water.
- This CO2 is then pumped into underground basalt caverns, where it cools and solidifies to stone.
- This way it is safely protected from danger, but the trapped CO2 can also be sensibly used to create fuel, fertilize crops or even carbonate your fizzy drinks.
- The plant itself is operated with climate-friendly geothermal energy, which is in abundance in Iceland.
But is it enough?
- Currently, Climeworks estimates that each tonne of CO2 to capture would cost $ 600-800. To make a profit, the cost would need to be cut to around $ 100 per ton.
- However, states like California are already offering electric car owners $ 500 in subsidies for every ton of CO2 emissions avoided throughout the vehicle's life cycle. In comparison, the cost looks a lot more reasonable.
- Plus, this is a new technology and costs are expected to drop dramatically over time.
- Climeworks co-founder Christoph Gebalt estimates that prices should be between 200 and 300 US dollars per ton by 2030.
- The real question is whether it can be scaled up to really tackle the problem. the International Energy Agency It is estimated that we will have to remove a billion tons of CO2 from the atmosphere annually by 2050.
- The current 4,000-ton facility accounts for 0.0004% of that.
- But hey, it's a start! Look at how dramatically the cost of solar power has fallen over the past few decades. This could be another key piece of the puzzle.
- Maybe there is a future for our children after all.
Lazy pet owners are happy! The newest Roombas now avoid pet poop (and other obstacles).
As all robot vacuum cleaner owners know, you need to do a little tidying up before you let it do it. That means picking up socks and other small items lying on the floor unless you want to ruin your vacuum cleaner (and your favorite couple).
Granted, the new feature works by sending an image of the item to your phone for manual verification. You can also program it to always avoid obstacles in some areas, like your child's toy area.
I wish my mother-in-law had come up with this feature before she tracked dog poop all over the house a few years ago.
Signing off,
Nick Fernandez, editor
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