The key question is: “How do you create the market conditions to make this happen?” Myles Allen’s SAFE carbon proposal directly targeted net carbon emissions. His idea would drive a smooth economic transition from what we have now to a mix of bioenergy and direct air capture with underground sequestration.

I found that fossil gasoline with air…[Read more]

I am not replying to Kevin’s posts directly, but regarding CO2, there is plenty in the air, but mechanically extracting it is energy consumptive. Plants, however, do this nicely. Part of the reason I am advocating ocean harvesting is that much of the mechanical energy can be obtained from waves, and removal of CO2 from the oceans helps with local…[Read more]

Hi Adam

First, I must emphasise that my purpose is not to “design” the future, merely to show the goal is possible. In this case, the goal is to remove two constraints (energy & earth’s climate) on economic development. If someone invents something better that is a bonus.

1 & 2. Solar crude oil is made with carbon dioxide extracted from the…[Read more]

Thank you for these references. The idea of using renewable energy (wind/solar) to drive a drop-in fuel refinery is fine. Could you explain three things: 1) How is the “carbon-negative crude oil production based on DriveSolar” accomplished by this strategy? 2) How is the CO2 for the system obtained?, 3) What is the source of the H2O for the system?

Also, by the way, carbon-negative crude oil production based on DriveSolar would be capable of driving atmospheric CO2 well below present-day levels. My feeling is that habitat engineers would probably go for sea level stability. Once people adapted to sea level rise through the 21st and part of the 22nd century, why lower the sea level? Based on…[Read more]

Ian solar crude oil production is quite different from biofuel production. My drivesolar process is very similar to the process used by Sunfire in Dresden. Solar to crude oil thermal efficiency looks to be about 10-14%. Hence the very low land area requirement. DriveSolar is based on 30% area coverage (heliostat to total facility area). Annual…[Read more]

In my ebook, “Biofuels. An Overview” I calculated that to roughly replace oil with biofuels using technology not yet available, the land requirements would be such that there would be too much loss of environment, although the exercise would be possible if we used the oceans. Now, admittedly, I have spent much of my career on biofuel research, and…[Read more]