"What no one has been able to do so far is do it at a low enough cost to compete with fossil fuel." I wish we as a society could properly account for negative externalities in the price of fossil fuel.
Launch HN: Prometheus (YC W19) – Remove CO2 from Air and Turn It into Gasoline
431–440 of 589 posts
Re: Launch HN: Prometheus (YC W19) – Remove CO2 from Air and Turn It into Gasoline
#432Earlier quoted context omitted.
If we want to stay below 2 degrees C in warming, we don't have time to replace the existing vehicle fleet (approx. 1.2 billion cars, trucks, buses, etc) with electric vehicles. If we instead replace the fuel, this can be fast enough. Even if all vehicles are electric in the future, this is still the right thing to do now.
My issue is that this is a step in the wrong direction, it is incentivizing the current dirty status quo. Why would anyone replace their dirty engine if they can feel good about by using your 'cleaned' fuel. I agree we need to do something now, but this is just putting off the inevitable. Re-engineering dirty fuel sources doesn't buy us time to resolve this. It is procrastinating, shuffling titanic deckchairs. The ma…
Re: Launch HN: Prometheus (YC W19) – Remove CO2 from Air and Turn It into Gasoline
#433This is really cool! I hope that you can rise above the comments of the "this isn't good enough" or "zero carbon or bust" crowd. This type of innovation is what we need to move the needle in a realistic manner and that helps to build on the infrastructure that we already have in place. I'm excited to see what comes of this in the coming years!
Re: Launch HN: Prometheus (YC W19) – Remove CO2 from Air and Turn It into Gasoline
#434Earlier quoted context omitted.
The problem with e-fuels for jets is that a majority of the climate forcing comes from the high altitude water vapor in the exhaust, not actually the CO2. EDIT: I should point out here you COULD actually make an e-fuel without hydrogen and thus without water vapor as a combustion product. Carbon monoxide, for instance. The energy density is much lower, but it is sufficient. HOWEVER, there are obvious safety concerns…
CO2 seems much worse pollutant than water long term, because it stays in the air. Water at high altitudes condenses, reflects some radiation back to space and then falls back down.
Re: Launch HN: Prometheus (YC W19) – Remove CO2 from Air and Turn It into Gasoline
#435Short summary here: https://youtu.be/ikt1oOnoKGg
Re: Launch HN: Prometheus (YC W19) – Remove CO2 from Air and Turn It into Gasoline
#436How sensitive is the systems to airborne sodium chloride if located near salty bodies of water? I would assume that colocation with nuclear power would be ideal and many nuclear plants are next to salty bodies of water. Being an energy auditor in my early career in the energy sector, I'm very interested in seeing such systems implemented to balance system loads during off peak times which will make Nuclear (safe and…
Unless there are massive improvements in efficiency and cost-effectiveness of storage, adapting usage to production of intermittent sources seems like it would maximize yield and minimize investment costs.
Re: Launch HN: Prometheus (YC W19) – Remove CO2 from Air and Turn It into Gasoline
#437Earlier quoted context omitted.
Something like 55-60% of the thermal energy created by burning fossil fuels is currently wasted.
It’s kind of ironic that cars and power plants work hard on getting rid of that energy.
Re: Launch HN: Prometheus (YC W19) – Remove CO2 from Air and Turn It into Gasoline
#438ashishtewari.ips@gmail.com
Re: Launch HN: Prometheus (YC W19) – Remove CO2 from Air and Turn It into Gasoline
#4399140451991 ashishtewari.ips@gmail.com
Re: Launch HN: Prometheus (YC W19) – Remove CO2 from Air and Turn It into Gasoline
#440I assume it wouldn't impact the energy accounting itself by much, but I heard nanotubes' main flaw is the inability to manufacture them at scale.