Feb 2023 SPE-SA Distinguished Lecturer

Contrary to popular belief, the ongoing energy transition from a high to low carbon economy requires more than harnessing renewable energies.  Currently, only 11% of global energy consumption come from renewable energy while 85% come from fossil fuels.  The current pace of installing renewable power plants is inadequate for nations to achieve net-zero by the second half of the century.  Achieving net-zero will require each country to decarbonize all three major energy consumptions sectors: power, transport and industry. There are essentially five ways to achieve this.  They are renewable energy, carbon capture and storage (CCS), hydrogen, nuclear energy and reducing energy demand.  How each country will utilize these ways to go through the energy transition will depend on its specific energy mix and the need to balance energy security, affordability, and sustainability. This seminar will show how CCS and hydrogen are key to achieving net-zero in all three energy consumption sectors. Furthermore, there is enough storage capacity in oil and gas fields, and saline aquifers in the world to store two centuries of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emission. We will present several case studies of large-scale CCS demonstration projects in Europe and Asia and discuss what is needed to take CCS to the next level of implementation. 

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