 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
Cutting Australia's Greenhouse Gas By Half
Canberra - Sep 25, 2003 More than half of Australia's carbon dioxide emissions come from power stations. Storing these harmful gases underground can drastically reduce the rate of emission build-up in our atmosphere. CSIRO'S Dr Lincoln Paterson says that it is possible to capture the gases emitted by these stationary sources, and strip out the carbon dioxide in order to pump it back underground. "Oil, gas and coal all come from underground in the first place," says Paterson. "We're looking at the feasibility of putting the carbon dioxide from these fuels back where it came from." A team of scientists from the Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies (CO2CRC), including CSIRO, Geoscience Australia and a number of universities is investigating 'geosequestration' of carbon dioxide as a practical and feasible way of reducing Australia's greenhouse gas emissions, as well as providing a lead to countries around the world grappling with the same problem. "Carbon dioxide from vehicles and other moving sources has to be dealt with by developing hybrid or hydrogen powered vehicles," he says, "but for the massive existing stationary sources of emissions which underpin Australia's industries, geosequestration provides a real opportunity to continue to operate efficiently while developing new technologies for an emission-free future." Dr Paterson emphasises that geosequestration of carbon dioxide can never be more than part of the solution in the short- to mid-term. "We are still dealing with the legacy of the industrial revolution, with coal and oil as the prime movers of industry," says Dr Paterson. "In the mid- to long-term, emerging technologies, possibly based on hydrogen, will power our society but even there, the first steps towards the hydrogen economy are likely to be based on fossil fuels." "For some decades to come, putting the carbon back underground where it came from is a practical and potentially affordable answer to the problem." CO2CRC researchers are working in close cooperation with scientists and engineers around the world, says Dr Paterson. Geosequestration projects are already in operation in Europe, North Africa and Canada. Related Links CSIRO SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express 
Smart Electric Grid Of The Future Is In Development
New York - Sep 24, 2003The nations current electric grid system will not work in the future with solar and wind farms providing substantial but intermittent power over long distances. By 2050, it will take between 15 and 20 Terawatts (TW) of electric power to supply the North American economy. A little under 7 TW is currently used, with most of that consumed in the United States. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
