How can we?
There are various technologies already in use to capture the CO2, however implementing CCS on a global scale presents significant challenges in its own right.

Speeding up installation, reducing cost, creating an effective transport infrastructure and overcoming community resistance to local storage facilities are all priorities that need to be addressed.

 If adoption of Carbon Capture and Storage is urgent, then why isn’t it happening faster?

Location: ExCeL, London

Source: EBS

The 2010 European Business Summit kicked off in Brussels on Thursday, 30 June and the Comment:Visions team was there to catch all the action.

The first day’s proceedings included the Presidents’ Debate which focused on Europe’s economic crisis and possible plans of action. It was panelled by Herman Van Rompuy, President, European Council; José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission; Jürgen R. Thumann, President, BUSINESSEUROPE; and Thomas Leysen, President, Federation of Enterprises in Belgium / Member, ERT. The debate culminated with a message of hope from President Barroso that the next G20 summit will be a bountiful platform for “concrete results” within economic reform.

The next day, the summit opened with the Energy for Europe: Fueling Growth panel which included Alexander Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Management Committee, Gazprom; Günther Oettinger, European Commissioner for Energy; Peter Voser, CEO, Royal Dutch Shell; Tom R. Walters, President, ExxonMobil Gas & Power Marketing ; and Vagit Alekperov, President, Lukoil. Coal fired power plants could have the capacity to be made CO2 neutral, Voser said. The energy demand that we are facing presently is expected to double by the year 2050, making the need for alternate renewable energy sources even more prevalent. “Gas is emerging as the energy source that allows the reduction of CO2 in the atmosphere” Perov said. Natural gas was determined to be the most viable, cost effective and abundant of the renewable sources. Shale gas was also said to be an important component of the energy mix, but the problem was with European public acceptance. Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger reminded the panel that “Solar energy [is] equally as important”.

Source: Comment:Visions

During the summit’s gala dinner, Comment:Visions hosted a table for a few of our online contributors, including: Dr. Jeffrey Seisler, CEO of Clean Fuels Consulting; Jacques de Selliers Chairman of the Association for Electric Vehicles in Europe;  Marco Sorgetti, Director General of CLECAT; Brianna Sapp, Project Manager of PANGEA; Remi Gruet, Climate Change Advisor for EWEA; and

 Greg Arrowsmith, Policy Officer from EUREC Agency.

– Heather Nelson

Source: GovNet

A member of the Comment:Visions team attended the GovNet Communication’s Science and Innovation 2010 Conference at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Westminster, London on 16 June.

 The theme of the event was the need to address the way the UK supports its science and technology talent and turning the support into economic growth. Representatives from all over the industry attended the conference—including businesspeople, academics, researchers, and individuals in the public service.

 Issues discussed in both panel presentations and seminars included:

• How to recruit more students into fields of science
• The need to diversify the talent pool to include more women and other minorities
• How to train people and hone the skills needed to do business in the industry
• How to gain more funding for research and innovation

David Kennedy, CEO of the Committee on Climate Change addressed the need to use science and innovation to create a low carbon economy. It is completely possible for the UK (and humans in general) to keep the same lifestyle we have now but lower carbon emissions, he said.

Kennedy stressed that people cannot wait for governments to act, citing COP-15 as “disappointing” that a more concrete and aggressive agreement wasn’t reached. However, he did say that the UK is making progress in government with the Climate Change Act of 2008 which created his committee and set a goal of 80 percent reduction in emissions by 2050.

“We need to invest in the right technologies,” Kennedy said, challenging science and technology leaders to work toward the emissions reduction goal and create jobs in the process. According to Kennedy, technologies such as electric and hydrogen cars, nuclear energy, clean coal, carbon capture and storage, and the many renewables need to be fine tuned and made available for mass distribution. He also suggested a need for more research and development in agriculture, as that makes up for a large part of carbon emissions all over the world.

The Committee on Climate Change will be presenting a report to Parliament with suggestions for new policies, such as a mandate for electric car battery charging stations, the phasing out of fossil fuels (for both environmental and security purposes) and more funding for innovation in the environmental science and technology realm.

– Eva Posner

Location: Business Design Centre, London

There are still concerns about each technology, which have in various parts of Europe stoked resistance to pilot and full-scale deployment projects. Wind farms are criticised for being noisy eyesores. Biofuels are accused threatening biodiversity and negatively affects food production and prices. Opponents of CCS projects say the technology is still risky. There have been ‘not-in-my-backyard’ reactions to solar projects, with complaints that solar parks affect land prices. Yet, at the same time, opinion polls show that the general public remains very supportive of renewable energies.

This puts politicians and decision-makers in a difficult position. Unless the public accepts these new technologies, the EU will not reach its targets to decrease emissions by 20% compared to 1990 levels by 2020, increase the share of renewables in its energy mix to 20% and de-carbonise its energy sector by 2050. Equally, Europe’s competitiveness will be affected unless employment and competitiveness opportunities must be met.

The EU and its member states have already developed tools that allow for public involvement in decision-making on infrastructure projects, through their environmental impact assessment and strategic environmental assessment legislations. But public consultation is not made mandatory, and public consultation does not automatically lead to support either.

Should the EU develop a specific strategy to win public support of new technological infrastructure projects? Is it up to member states or regions to persuade local populations?

Is public awareness sufficient? How can the EU bridge the gap between theory and practice?

This debate takes places during the Committee of the Regions’ Open Days that brings together representatives from Europe’s Regions and Cities.

——

Provisional Timing

14.00-14.30 Welcome of participants and registration

14.30-14.35 Introduction of participants by European Voice senior editorial staff

14.35-14.45 Presentation by Ron van Erck, policy officer, DG energy, European Commission, of preliminary findings of European Commission (DG energy) study on public attitudes to low-carbon energy technologies

14.45-15.15 Panel discussion

• Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner for climate action (until 15.30)
• Jean-Marc Nollet, vice-president, minister in charge of energy and sustainable development, Wallonia Region*
• Vicente J. Cortes, president, CIUDEN foundation
• Nick Pidgeon, professor of applied psychology, Cardiff University
• Andrea Athanas, senior programme officer, energy, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

15.15-16.25 Debate (audience participation strongly encouraged)

16.25-16.30 Conclusions by Graeme Sweeney, executive vice-president – Group CO2, Shell

16.30 Networking reception

——

To register for the Comment:Visions event, click here and select workshop number 05C05

Renewable energy’s contribution to our energy creation must grow, we are told, because we must reduce emissions of
greenhouse gases, or risk a climate catastrophe. And yet, we expect to have electricity available all the time
which renewable energy sources do not provide. What then will we rely on to provide base load power?

The next 20 years are critical in establishing a new energy mix that will provide constant electricity and still reduce emissions.

I think we’re going to see substantial replacement of conventional power, especially coal, with renewables in the coming years. Many of the coal plants who were built in the 60’s and 70’s are now ending their useful lives. And something’s going to have to replace them.

Nuclear power is one possibility. Although, I think most analysts would agree that’s several decades down the road. What you’re going to need is a combination of different kinds of renewables: wind energy, solar, biomass, hydropower. And some of these that are variable in output, such as wind and solar, can be balanced out with hydropower, with natural gas.

And as more and more coal plants age and are shut down, I don’t think we’re going to see an enormous wave of new coal plants replacing them. I think there will be new coal plants coming online, but the ones that are will have to be fitted, I believe, with ‘carbon capture and storage.’ I think this will be a requirement if the technology indeed pans out. It’s now in the demonstration phase; there are a lot of questions about it; and it remains to be seen whether it works or not. If it does, I think it will be a very useful technology for enabling more coal to be burned.

I think in the long run it’s going to be natural gas and especially renewables that form the bulwark of European energy.

European Renewable Energy Audio

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