Right, a BBC item about an idea being piloted in Stockton-upon-Tees. The scheme captures carbon and water from the air and puts them through a process that (with lots of electricity) turns them into synthetic fuel. Initially, they are going to make stuff for formula one racing, but the big news is that they can set the device up to make any kind of fuel. So what? The laws of physics say you can't get something for nothing, so it would have to take more energy going in to make the petrol than you would get by burning the petrol produced.
However, if you have something like a wind, solar or wave power generator running and producing energy at times when no one needs it, it would be very nice to have a way of storing that energy so that you could use it later, when you do need it. This would work.
It also drags carbon dioxide out of the air, so it could easily make carbon neutral petrol. That's more iportant than it might at first look, as we already have ways of transporting petrol around the world and a world that is set up for using it.
There is an argument that it would be more efficient to store that energy in batteries and use them for powering cars. However, the manufacture of those batteries is environmentally damaging and relies on supplies of elements known rare earths that are limited (why they call 'em rare) and mostly in China. Some argue that using the electricity to manufacture hydrogen would be cleaner. this might be true, but hydrogen is extremely explosive, difficult to transport and would require a new distribution system to be set up anyway - something that would be incredibly expensive. A country like UAE (where I currently live), which has lots of space, lots of sun, lots of money to put into new tech and the Zayed Future Energy Prize for people who have bright ideas about new sources of energy, it might be just the place to start to develop this.
However, if you have something like a wind, solar or wave power generator running and producing energy at times when no one needs it, it would be very nice to have a way of storing that energy so that you could use it later, when you do need it. This would work.
It also drags carbon dioxide out of the air, so it could easily make carbon neutral petrol. That's more iportant than it might at first look, as we already have ways of transporting petrol around the world and a world that is set up for using it.
There is an argument that it would be more efficient to store that energy in batteries and use them for powering cars. However, the manufacture of those batteries is environmentally damaging and relies on supplies of elements known rare earths that are limited (why they call 'em rare) and mostly in China. Some argue that using the electricity to manufacture hydrogen would be cleaner. this might be true, but hydrogen is extremely explosive, difficult to transport and would require a new distribution system to be set up anyway - something that would be incredibly expensive. A country like UAE (where I currently live), which has lots of space, lots of sun, lots of money to put into new tech and the Zayed Future Energy Prize for people who have bright ideas about new sources of energy, it might be just the place to start to develop this.
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