Direct air capture (DAC) holds promise to extract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, potentially becoming a crucial tool in the battle against climate change. Amidst heated debates over its feasibility, cost, and effectiveness, this comprehensive analysis dissects DAC’s potential through energy modeling and policy discussion. Can DAC truly fulfill its promise and play a significant […]

For the world to avoid a climate catastrophe, carbon capture is likely a necessity, not an option. To meet the Paris Agreement’s objectives—keep warming below 2C and preferably near 1.5C—net zero carbon emissions must be achieved circa 2050, and some carbon dioxide will have to be extracted from the atmosphere. Deployment of carbon capture, utilization, […]

This has been the year from hell for coal-fired power and the coal industry. If current projections hold, coal generation in 2020 will be 21% lower than last year and 62% lower than the 2007 peak. The coal share of the generating mix, which for decades hovered around 50%, will finish the year at 20%, […]

Coal burn in the power sector has fallen off a cliff. Demand peaked at 1.045 billion tons in 2007. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates consumption in 2020 will be 377 million tons, a drop of 64% in little more than a decade. The EIA is forecasting a modest rebound in 2021 (to 462 […]