Decarbonisation Technology - November 2021

Ten transformational policy proposals and discussion points for COP26  Clean up existing processes in parallel to developing the new clean energy infrastructure. As priorities, support investment in reduction of leaks and emissions of natural gas and other methane sources such as landfill sites.  Implement carbon capture on existing CO 2 point sources with a projected operational life of more than 15 years.  Place more emphasis and urgency on CO 2 capture, collection, and logistics infrastructure and business model development.  Tax ‘the problem’ with an international CO 2 emissions tax at a fixed rate, with a clear implementation and ramp-up timeline would be the fairest mechanism, which would also allow for clear planning and investment.  Use funds derived from national and international taxation to support transformational research, such as the use of direct air capture for the simultaneous capture of CO 2 and methane from the air.  Implement a review of practices in agriculture and the food supply chain and stimulate the necessary research into new techniques.  Focus on tighter control of F-Gases production because release to atmosphere is difficult to monitor due to the diverse range of domestic applications.  At a policy level, shift the debate away from picking between apparently competing good ideas, e.g. battery electric vehicle (BEV) vs fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) or green hydrogen vs blue hydrogen.  Motivate with a combination of hope and urgency. Current climate conditions indicate that the 1.5°C and perhaps 2°C targets will be overshot and the timeline for climate neutrality is variable around the world. COP26 must maintain the focus on achieving alignment to tougher targets and rapid action.  Visionary, blame-free collective international action is required and COP26 programmes must recognise this.

resources to produce hydrogen through in-situ gasification. This technology has the potential to be commercialised internationally due to the large volumes of oil resources globally. Instead of extracting crude oil from the underground fossil energy resources, in-situ gasification in the underground fossil fuel reservoir can be applied to create low carbon hydrogen. To produce pure hydrogen, gas separation is achieved by installing a downhole membrane. Hydrogen is extracted from the production well, and since the carbon monoxide and CO 2 gases and other hydrocarbons remain underground, the process simultaneously results in underground CO 2 storage. Carbon capture is at the root of all CCS or CCUS technologies During glass, lime, cement, and refractory products making, CO 2 emissions are unavoidable. This is

seasonal changes in energy supply and demand. Underground hydrogen storage, or UHS, is ideal for this application. Currently, two UHS pilots are planned in Germany and the Netherlands in 2021-2022. The North Sea and its nearby onshore region could also be an attractive choice for energy system integration, where CO 2 could be injected into oil and gas reservoirs and aquifers to generate blue hydrogen from local natural gas resources. Offshore wind power generation is being installed at Giga Watt scale, enabling green hydrogen production. The green and blue hydrogen can be stored in multiple UHS salt caverns, thereby fully harnessing natural resources above and below the ground in the region. The North Sea Energy programme and the Zero Carbon Humber project are planning to use this region capability for a sustainable energy system. It is possible to use underground hydrocarbon