Advanced Technology Paths to Global Climate Stability: Energy for a Greenhouse Planet

Abstract

Stabilizing the carbon dioxide–induced component of climate change is an energy problem. Establishment of a course toward such stabilization will require the development within the coming decades of primary energy sources that do not emit carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, in addition to efforts to reduce end-use energy demand. Mid-century primary power requirements that are free of carbon dioxide emissions could be several times what we now derive from fossil fuels (∼10 13 watts), even with improvements in energy efficiency. Here we survey possible future energy sources, evaluated for their capability to supply massive amounts of carbon emission–free energy and for their potential for large-scale commercialization. Possible candidates for primary energy sources include terrestrial solar and wind energy, solar power satellites, biomass, nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, fission-fusion hybrids, and fossil fuels from which carbon has been sequestered. Non–primary power technologies that could contribute to climate stabilization include efficiency improvements, hydrogen production, storage and transport, superconducting global electric grids, and geoengineering. All of these approaches currently have severe deficiencies that limit their ability to stabilize global climate. We conclude that a broad range of intensive research and development is urgently needed to produce technological options that can allow both climate stabilization and economic development.

CO2 Reduction: From the Electrochemical to Photochemical Approach

“…How to effectively reduce the atmospheric CO 2 level and further utilize it has become an important research topic worldwide. Strategies are now being actively sought to mitigate CO 2 emission via improving the combustion efficiency of fossil fuels or exploring clean and renewable energy sources (e.g., wind, tide, and solar energy) 4, 5. Alternatively, great efforts are also being actively undertaken to develop carbon capture and storage (CCS) techniques that fix atmospheric CO 2 and store it underground in a supercritical state 6.…”

Limitations of Nuclear Power as a Sustainable Energy Source

“…Thus, the OPEN ACCESS debate over the energy supply of the future intensifies [2][3][4][5][6][7]. This debate is complicated by ongoing global climate destabilization as a result of green house gas (GHG) emissions produced largely from combustion of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) for energy [8][9][10][11]. These scientific findings and economic threats have catalyzed commitments by many industrialized countries to curb GHG emissions, which in turn have created an enormous need for large-scale sources of energy alternatives to the polluting and potentially dwindling economic supplies of fossil fuels [5].…”

Potential of Metal–Organic Frameworks for Separation of Xenon and Krypton

“…1,2 The need is primarily driven by rapid population and industrial growth, which in turn leads to high energy consumption. Reports from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) indicate a ∼28% increase in electrical demand by 2040.…”

“…3 It is therefore imperative to devise a highly efficient, safe, and reliable energy solution that can satisfy these increasing demands in a way that does not further harm the land, water, and air. 1,2 In the United States, electricity is predominately generated from fossil fuels, in addition to nuclear power and renewable energy. Nuclear energy continues to capture attention from both a scientific and political perspective, particularly in light of the Chernobyl disaster, the Three Mile Island incident, and the more recent 2011 tsunami and subsequent reactor meltdown in Fukushima, Japan.…”