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A group of European scientists wants to mitigate the effects of climate change and advance renewable energy sources by building millions of artificial islands in the world's oceans, capable of converting atmospheric carbon dioxide into fuel.
By publishing their work in PNAS, the researchers highlighted the difficulties faced by such an "ambitious proposal", while asserting that the technology needed for the implementation of the infrastructure already existed. However, a fully feasible and realistic plan has simply not been proposed yet.
"Humanity must stop CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels in order to avoid dangerous climate change, "the authors wrote, adding that liquid carbon-based energy carriers such as these often lack practical application alternatives .
These "solar islands of methanol" would be endowed with solar and wind energy infrastructure capable of boosting hydrogen production and carbon dioxide (CO2) extraction from the environment. sea water to create a fuel based on liquid methanol. In return, the islands could eventually store energy in methanol fuel cells located in places where ships could pick it up and transport it to supply gas turbines and modified diesel engines, among others. Overall, the process would allow energy use without net emissions of CO2, potentially limiting the effects of climate change.
"Among the many issues that need to be addressed in more detail for a practical design of solar powered artificial marine islands to recycle CO2 into synthetic liquid fuel, are the following: How to fit the modules PV at a large scale deployment in a marine environment and how can they be cleaned and maintained effectively Can desalination and electrolysis technology be combined to efficiently produce H2 from water from the sea? sea? "the researchers wrote, listing many more questions.
Study author Andreas Borgschulte told Newsweek that the biggest obstacle to creating renewable energy is finding a way to make it competitive with fossil fuels. This is not the first time that energy producing islands are proposed, but his work finds a way to include energy storage.
About 70 floating islands imitating large floating fish farms would constitute a single facility each measuring about one square kilometer. Ideal conditions would be in areas near the shore with an average wave height of less than 7 meters (23 feet), areas not prone to hurricanes and relatively shallow waters not exceeding 600 meters (close to 2,000 feet) so that each installation can be installed. properly anchored. The authors note that particularly suitable areas include the coasts of South America, Southeast Asia and Australia.
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