Decarb Connect

Craig Golinowski of Carbon Infrastructure Partners discussions the need for other tech to balance out renewables so that we avoid further energy crises and allow for a full transition. Is CCUS the radical middle ground? 

Summary: Craig Golinowski joins Alex to talk about the concept of the carbon paradox, and what role CCUS needs to play in the energy transition. Find out about the concept of the paradox being seen in the transition to renewables where, without solving intermittency and other short-medium term challenges, energy stability can be put at risk and may lead to more use of heavy emitting fuels as ‘patches’ to the energy system. Listen in as Alex and Craig discuss this, the market demand for CCS and the market model for CCS as a utility. 

Show links: 

https://carboninfrastructurepartners.com/

www.decarbconnect.com

Thanks to Janno Media for their production assistance. 

Book your ticket for the Decarb Connect Festival which focuses solely on global approaches to industrial decarbonization festival in January 2022 – see our website. 

 Listen in and explore the momentum being seen right now, with more than 70% of global GDP covered by a net zero target, and the routes critical industries are taking to decarbonize. You’ll hear thoughts on the innovative mechanisms that global capital markets and policy are developing, and you’ll get his insights on the urgent need for huge amounts of zero carbon electricity and infrastructure to support essential solutions. 

Lord Turner has a background spanning the corporate world, played a key part in tackling the financial crisis and was the original chairman of the Climate Change Committee: A great guest to drive energy and intention into our 2022 plans. 

Show links: 

https://www.energy-transitions.org/

https://www.energy-transitions.org/publications/the-net-zero-steel-sector-transition-strategy/

Lord Turner will be speaking at Decarb Connect’s Festival, which digs into the decarbonisation of energy-intensive industries, in January 2022: https://bit.ly/Decarb_Festival

Thanks to Janno Media for their technical partnership

Join Alex and Ben for part two of their conversation exploring how Origen’s Zero Carbon Lime technology is being applied at a plant in the UK. You’ll explore the tech itself, the project timeline and hear about the short and long term co2 offtake plans. You’ll also explore the way in which zero carbon lime could be used as a carbon capture tool in future. 

Links: 

https://origencarbonsolutions.com/news-updates/

www.decarbconnect.com

Thanks to Janno Media for the technical partnership.

Sitting right at the heart of hard to abate sectors is Lime production – a process that yields materials used in construction and food industries (as well as others). The 400 million tonnes of lime produced annually produces 400m tonnes of co2 from the high heat and energy-intensive chemical process. But there is a positive side to this story – if producers can develop zero carbon lime, there are major opportunities not only in their current end use markets – but also in carbon capture markets. 

Join Alex for the first of a two part conversation with Ben Turner of Origen to learn about the challenges for this ‘invisble’ industry and to learn about how Origen’s technology leads to zero carbon product. Ben also talks more specifically about how they are building a business model in the US market in partnership with Vault, a sequestration partner. 

Join us to learn about the market opportunities for zero carbon lime and how it can be achieved. 

Show links: 

https://origencarbonsolutions.com/

www.decarbconnect.com

If you’re interested in decarbonising hard to abate sectors, join us at our international festival directed at industrials, investors, tech and those supporting the energy transition in the more energy intensive sectors: 

https://decarbconnect.com/events/decarb-connect-global-festival/

Thanks to Janno Media for all your help with the series.

CCUS is a broad term and yet often is applied narrowly to projects focused on underground storage. Aeroborn is one of a number of exciting disruptors with CCUS-tech that allows for the transformation of CO2 into other products… products that are usable whilst also storing the CO2 permanently. In the case of Aeroborn, it is converted to sustainable carbon black materials.

Join Alex as she talks with Anna Douglas, the co-Founder and Chief Science Officer for Aeroborn as they talk about the need for reuse of CO2 in products that have high demand, the specific approach they are applying to CO2 transformation and also the way in which they are working with industrials to minimise CO2 output. 

Links: 

https://www.aeroborn.com/

www.decarbconnect.com
Thanks as always to Janno Media for their help and support.

Kicking off our month of focus on innovation, join Alex and Jan Skjoldhammer of NoviOcean to talk about their wave energy tech and the role of wave power in the renewables mix. In this conversation they look at the current instability in the energy market and how new forms of energy could play into it.You’ll also explore the business model and infra around wave energy plus the current costs vs its fossil fuel and renewables competitors… find out what needs to happen to bring this to parity so that it is a cost effective as well as sustainable choice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR1nl9b5cF8

https://noviocean.energy/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-g-skjoldhammer-8807996/

Want more stories and insights on energy transition and how industrials can forge a path to Net Zero? Join us for the Decarb Connect Festival (in London and also online): 

https://decarbconnect.com/events/decarb-connect-global-festival/

Thanks to Janno Media for their partnership on our journey.

Join one of the Decarbonisation Leaders Network’s council members, Geoff Mackey, for a discussion about his experiences at COP26, the value of carbon literacy, and the core activities underpinning BASF’s sustainability activities.   

Throughout the conversation, one of the recurring themes is the power of knowing your CO2 baseline and rooting your strategy in this. We also talked about the need for corporates to both take action but also communicate clearly the challenges that need unpicking on the way to net zero. Always high energy and always engaging - hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did! 

Links: 

https://bit.ly/BASF_carbon_management - details from BASF’s site about their approach to co2 management

https://decarbconnect.com/decarb-leaders-network/ - join Geoff in our decarbonisation network
www.decarbconnect.com - find out about our reports, webinars and events
Thanks to Janno Media for their podcast production expertise.

How does a gas utility transition to a clean energy network? Chris Kroeker, Emerging Technology Program Manager of NW Natural, joins Alex to discuss how his company (a gas utility based in Oregon) is transitioning from natural gas to hydrogen.  

The conversation explores the need for any transition to deliver economical decarbonization in order to keep industrial clients and jobs in state – and we look at the roadmap to NW offering hydrogen at scale. Find out how NW looks at the opportunities and the challenges around blue and green hydrogen, and the range of plans and resources needed to deliver it. Explore how the business model for hydrogen could work and hear about the step by step approach Chris and his organisation is taking. 

Show Links: 

www.NWNatural.com

www.decarbconnect.com 

Thanks to Sassy at Janno Media for production on this epsiode.

Neil Chatterjee was, until August 2021, the member of the commission at FERC and now is a senior advisor at Hogan Lovells. With a background in policy, legislation and regulation he joined Alex to look at his work with the commission at FERC and what he thinks is needed in the US energy market to make progress to lower carbon energy smooth – specifically his thoughts on the need for congruent state-by-state carbon pricing. We also talk about his expectations of COP26 and future energy transition needs.

Links:

https://www.hoganlovells.com/en/chatterjee-neil

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/fercs-chatterjee-questions-clean-energy-standard-says-carbon-pricing-coul/605155/

https://ihsmarkit.com/research-analysis/us-ferc-finalizes-carbon-pricing-policy-statement-with-biparti.html

www.decarbconnect.com

Thanks to Janno Media for all their help and support.

Global construction projections point to a massive growth over the next couple of decades which equates to building something the size of New York City every month. Think about that… the steel… the cement… the co2 that is produced as a result. So all we need are green materials, right? In the short term the challenge lies in the “green premium” and how quickly the price for carbon negative or low carbon materials can be brought down by market forces. 

Governments around the world buy as much as 25% of steel and 40% of cement for infrastructure and building programs, so green public procurement has the potential to be an incredibly powerful lever. 

Rana Ghoneim, Chief of the Energy Systems and Infrastructure Division at the UN’s Industrial Development Organization, talks with Alex about the work she and her organisation are doing to drive green public procurement. Through their Industrial Deep Decarbonisation Initiative, they are signing up big government buyers of the co2-intensive materials to make pledges on procurement that can spark a global green market for critical materials. Join the discussion and find out about what the ‘right’ targets are, how to set standards for green products that create a healthy market and how to unpick institutional barriers to green procurement. The ultimate goal? Major buyers and a healthy market to drive further industrial decarbonisation. 

Show links: 

The UN IDO’s Green Public Procurement Report: https://www.industrytransition.org/insights/target-setting-for-green-public-procurement-programmes/

The UN IDO’s paper on green cement and steel procurement: https://www.industrytransition.org/insights/industry-transition-through-green-public-procurement-how-to-guide-cement-steel-sectors/

Link to the Industrial Deep Decarbonisation Initiative: https://www.unido.org/IDDI

Link to Decarb Connect and our work in industrial decarbonisation: www.decarbconnect.com

Thanks as ever to Sassy at Janno Media for her expertise and input.