ERC will find its natural partners among the large emitters of greenhouse gasses (CO2 makes up 85% of GHG). These include the power utilities, especially those that burn coal to generate electric energy. Manufacturers of portland cement are also large emitters putting out approximately 1 metric tonne of CO2 for every tonne of product. The steel industry is an obvious emitter, as is the oil and gas industry at its well head sites and refineries. The chemicals industry is a major emitter – the list is long.
There are also a great many smaller or specialty industries that output CO2, each of which outputs a smaller volume, which is related to their consumption of fossil fuels – all of these are potential clients or natural partners. Some have advantages like the output of concentrated CO2; others have disadvantages like being distributed across the landscape, they do not offer a focused source of GHG. Examples would be agriculture and transportation.
There is clearly growing pressure on emitters to curb their excess: in the USA almost half of the coal powered power plants planned have been cancelled in the period between 2000 and 2009. This is due to the legislation planned, even if it has not all been implemented. As a result, there is growing uncertainty in industry as to the security of their future power supplies. Various carbon emission mitigation strategies are being evaluated but no clear answers have been recognized. CCS (carbon capture and sequestration) has been promoted by various governments, but industry has recognized and is concerned at the cost and has been less enthusiastic. This is hardly good for the economy.
ERC will offer a carbon negative answer that has attractive economics; it will offer an alternative to CCS in many situations. Just like CCS, it has yet to be fully demonstrated and its economics made widely public. ERC’s natural partners will appear in large numbers when it can point to demonstrations and can publish its technical and economic results.