Abstract
Pathways for achieving the 1.5–2 °C global temperature moderation target imply a massive scaling of carbon dioxide (CO2) removal technologies, in particular in the 2040s and onwards. CO2 direct air capture (DAC) is among the most promising negative emission technologies (NETs). The energy demands for low-temperature solid-sorbent DAC are mainly heat at around 100 °C and electricity, which lead to sustainably operated DAC systems based on low-cost renewable electricity and heat pumps for the heat supply. This analysis is carried out for the case of the Maghreb region, which enjoys abundantly available low-cost renewable energy resources. The energy transition results for the Maghreb region lead to a solar photovoltaic (PV)-dominated energy supply with some wind energy contribution. DAC systems will need the same energy supply structure. The research investigates the levelised cost of CO2 DAC (LCOD) in high spatial resolution and is based on full hourly modelling for the Maghreb region. The key results are LCOD of about 55 €/tCO2 in 2050 with a further cost reduction potential of up to 50%. The area demand is considered and concluded to be negligible. Major conclusions for CO2 removal as a new energy sector are drawn. Key options for a global climate change mitigation strategy are first an energy transition towards renewable energy and second NETs for achieving the targets of the Paris Agreement.
Highlights
Recent research clearly indicates that 1.5–2 °C global temperature moderation pathways include fast and deep defossilisation of all energy sectors globally
This section is divided into results for the CO2 direct air capture (DAC) system modelling and the energy system transition towards full sustainability in the power sector for the Maghreb region
The results for the CO2 DAC system modelling for the case of the Maghreb region are presented in the following, mainly for the two decisive cost years of 2040 and 2050, and highlighting some of the most relevant system aspects of the full hourly modelling
Summary
Recent research clearly indicates that 1.5–2 °C global temperature moderation pathways include fast and deep defossilisation of all energy sectors globally. Negative carbon fioxide (CO2) emission technologies (NETs) are required to achieve the ambitious targets of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 21st Conference of the Parties, the Paris Agreement, (UNFCCC 2015) within this century. Recent research clearly indicates that future energy systems will be mainly based on very high shares of VRE, as pointed out by Jacobson et al (2017), and can be even lower in cost than the present energy system as further emphasised by Breyer et al (2018). Sustainable bioenergy solutions are confirmed by most researchers in the field of high renewable shares (Breyer et al 2018; Brown et al 2018; Child et al 2018), but not by all (Jacobson et al 2017). This paper aims to examine the feasibility of renewable electricity-based DAC solutions
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