Giga-ton and tera-watt scale challenges at the energy - climate crossroads: A global perspective

Abstract

Energy related CO2 emissions from fossil fuels constitute nearly 80 % of the global greenhouse gas emissions and are largely responsible for effecting climate change. There is imminent need to reduce emissions and decarbonize the energy economy. Renewables and nuclear are the only carbon-free energy options. However, the pace of renewable deployment lags the rate needed to achieve net-zero by 2050. Also, fossil fuels are expected to continue to dominate the energy landscape into the foreseeable future.Built on these hypotheses, this article presents a global perspective on the multitude of giga-ton and tera-watt challenges in addressing energy security and climate change. It advocates a multi-prong strategy for a smooth transition into a sustainable future. This includes abandoning air-based combustion of fossil fuels in favor of advanced oxygen-based conversion technologies, expanding energy storage capacities to accelerate the penetration rate of renewables, universally pricing emissions, and rapidly deploying carbon capture technologies at massive scale. It also argues that decarbonization must prioritize zero-carbon output over zero-carbon input during this transition period. Accordingly, the article offers several oxygen-based technology options for cleaner utilization of fossil fuels including fuel cells for power generation and storage as well as downhill production of blue hydrogen.