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Earth Catalyst gathers the most recent updates from over 1,000 green tech and sustainability organizations each day. If you subscribe to our free newsletter, we'll send you a small selection (daily or weekly) that we think will be most meaningful to you.

 

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Renewables vs Carbon Capture: The Cost Debate

  • Writer: Marshall Kirkpatrick
    Marshall Kirkpatrick
  • Feb 17
  • 10 min read

Is capturing and removing carbon from the air worth the cost? A new Stanford study suggests it isn’t—finding that switching to renewable energy is far cheaper and more effective than carbon capture.


The study was led by Stanford's Mark Jacobson, whose work has been cited more than 46,000 times over his career. He and his team analyzed 149 countries over the next 25 years and found that transitioning to wind, water, and solar (WWS) energy could cut energy demand by 54% and cost 60% less than carbon capture.


The investment would pay for itself in under six years, while health benefits from cleaner air would offset costs in less than a year.


But people are going to keep trying! Separately, University of Cambridge researchers say they have developed a reactor that pulls carbon dioxide directly from the air and converts it into sustainable fuel, using only sunlight as the power source!


This is a dynamic, multivariate, and adversarial situation, though - so no single factor (cost, pollution) is enough to determine the most viable path forward. A lot of removal of what's already in the air is going to be essential. But as the Stanford study says, "You can have the most efficient way of removing CO2 from the air, but that does not change the efficiency of combustion. You’re keeping that inefficient energy infrastructure the same. It’s much cheaper and more efficient just to replace the fossil source with electricity or heat provided by a renewable source.”


Why we scan the news

One of the most important reasons to scan the news like this is to enrich our understanding of these kinds of complex situations. The Stanford study suggests carbon removal isn’t cost-effective today, while the Cambridge research points to promising innovations.


A nuanced understanding of these kinds of situations increases our odds of success in dealing with them.


And now, to enrich your understanding of the work you're doing, we offer you the best updates from around the green tech and sustainability world today. Email subscribers get 3 just for you.


-Marshall Kirkpatrick

Earth Catalyst: We provide thought leadership support systems and bespoke consulting for green tech and sustainability organizations.

 
Today and every day, our system scans over 1,000 green tech and sustainability organizations for updates. Below, you'll find:

  • A Visual of the Day

  • A digest-style Table of Contents for 50 selected updates from around the green tech and sustainability world

  • (If you subscribe by email) 3 personalized selections just for you and your work


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Visual of the Day

Mapped: How extreme weather is destroying crops around the world

A new analysis by Carbon Brief of media coverage shows how extreme weather disrupted global food systems over the past two years. That article is filled with charts, graphs, and quotes describing the cascading impacts of increasingly frequent crop failure driven by extreme weather.



Today's Updates

Table of Contents

  • Agriculture (1 story) - Solar Foods advances pre-engineering for large-scale protein facility


  • Carbon (1 story) - Wind, water & solar outperform carbon capture by 54% efficiency, 60% cost in Stanford global analysis


  • Ecosystems (5 stories) - Pacific Northwest wetland restoration, Florida red tide crisis, Great Lakes ice monitoring, Indigenous land management initiatives, and global disease pattern shifts amid climate change


  • Efficiency (1 story) - Albina Vision Trust's 94-unit solar-powered, gas-free housing project advances energy-efficient affordable living


  • Finance (2 stories) - DOE funding uncertainty prompts VC alternatives; WWU secures $156K Beckman grant


  • Grid (5 stories) - Record solar penetration in NSW, Oregon microgrid legislation, Queensland's Borumba hydro project, Texas grid strain, National Grid EV study


  • Indigenous (5 stories) - Native groups in Brazil, Mexico, Peru, UK and Portland advance land restoration, clean energy and food sovereignty through Friends of Tryon Creek, traditional knowledge initiatives and UN advocacy


  • Industry (4 stories) - MMG expands wind project to 144MW; miners deploy IoT monitoring; Texas approves contested disposal site; Montana SAF plant gets $1.44B DOE loan


  • Policy (18 stories) - Trump administration blocks $19B in EPA grants and Paris withdrawal while 133 mayors defend clean energy credits; Victoria fast-tracks renewables as Australia's largest tender closes


  • Renewables (3 stories) - MSU study on dual-use solar siting, while Brooklyn-PR community projects and Asian government tenders expand PV deployment


  • Transport (5 stories) - CAA winter EV tests, Ethio Telecom's 32-bay charging hub, Hyundai's nuclear ship design, NASCAR's Daytona EV chargers, Oregon Walks' school program



Agriculture

Solar Foods advances pre-engineering for large-scale protein facility



Carbon

Wind, water & solar outperform carbon capture by 54% efficiency, 60% cost in Stanford global analysis



Ecosystems

Pacific Northwest wetland restoration, Florida red tide crisis, Great Lakes ice monitoring, Indigenous land management initiatives, and global disease pattern shifts amid climate change



Efficiency

Albina Vision Trust's 94-unit solar-powered, gas-free housing project advances energy-efficient affordable living


  • PCEF Grantee Albina Vision Trust | JT Flowers (Portland Clean Energy Fund) - Albina Vision Trust receives grant for 94-unit affordable housing development featuring energy efficiency upgrades, solar panels, and zero gas usage in historically Black Portland neighborhood.


Finance

DOE funding uncertainty prompts VC alternatives; WWU secures $156K Beckman grant



Grid

Record solar penetration in NSW, Oregon microgrid legislation, Queensland's Borumba hydro project, Texas grid strain, National Grid EV study



Indigenous

Native groups in Brazil, Mexico, Peru, UK and Portland advance land restoration, clean energy and food sovereignty through Friends of Tryon Creek, traditional knowledge initiatives and UN advocacy


  • 🌎 Meli updates (Meli Network) - Indigenous communities across Brazil, Mexico, Peru and UK collaborate on agroforestry, traditional knowledge preservation, and sustainable farming initiatives.

  • PCEF Grantee Friends of Tryon Creek | Lili, Nanda, and Gabe (Portland Clean Energy Fund) - Indigenous leaders at Friends of Tryon Creek receive grant to restore traditional land management practices and create paid opportunities for BIPOC youth in Portland forest.

  • PCEF Grantee Northwest Native Chamber | Amber Faist (Northwest Native Chamber) - Indigenous-led organization receives grant to develop clean energy contractors and perform home retrofits for Portland communities while incorporating traditional values.

  • PCEF Grantee The Uprise Collective | Brianna Bragg (Portland Clean Energy Fund) - Indigenous-led collective receives planning grant to develop accessible food and medicine garden integrating traditional ecological knowledge with disability access needs.

  • Uplift U.S. Indigenous Rights + Build Movement (Cultural Survival) - UN Universal Periodic Review process offers Indigenous peoples opportunity to review US human rights record in 2025, with detailed submission and advocacy guidelines.


Industry

MMG expands wind project to 144MW; miners deploy IoT monitoring; Texas approves contested disposal site; Montana SAF plant gets $1.44B DOE loan



Policy

Trump administration blocks $19B in EPA grants and Paris withdrawal while 133 mayors defend clean energy credits; Victoria fast-tracks renewables as Australia's largest tender closes



Renewables

MSU study on dual-use solar siting, while Brooklyn-PR community projects and Asian government tenders expand PV deployment



Transport

CAA winter EV tests, Ethio Telecom's 32-bay charging hub, Hyundai's nuclear ship design, NASCAR's Daytona EV chargers, Oregon Walks' school program


 
 
 

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