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NewDiscoverieshave ClearedPath to StoppingClimate Change Op-Ed Piece by Michael Garvin
Americanshave facedmonumentalchallengesmanytimesoverthe course of ourhistory.We noware
facinga challenge to ourworldin the formof climate change.I likenthe challengesthatwe face to
those challengesthatwe facedatthe start of WorldWar II. I am an energyresearcherbasedatthe
IllinoisInstituteof TechnologyinChicago. Energyresearchersnow know the three orfourtechnologies
that are neededtodevelopthatwouldexpand energyabundance and aswell asreduce carbonrelease.
The firstmajor discoverywasa systemthatextractscarbon fromfossil fuel powerplantexhaust by
passingitthrougha non-thermal plasmafield.Thiswill allowglobal energysystemstodramatically
reduce carbonrelease while managingthe existingfleetof plantsuntil othercleanerformsof powercan
be fullydeveloped. Ourwaron energypovertyandclimate change centersaroundsuchtechnologiesas
carbon extraction,energystorage,hydrogen andwave energy.The realityof this waristhat the United
Statesmay contribute the technologiesbutreallycannotimpactcarbonrelease withoutthe
involvementof countrieslikeChinaandIndia.Inthe nextfew decades,the combinedcarbonrelease in
Indiaand Chinawill faroutstripthe release fromthe EuropeanUnionandUnitedStates.Soanysolution
mustrecognize the realityof the factthat bothIndiaand Chinarelyon coal for 80% of theirelectricity
generation.The Presidentof Chinahasalready announcedthathe will have coal at the centerof their
energynetwork.Sothe developmentof carbonextractiontechnologiesforcoal firedpowerplant
exhaustiscritical tothe survival of the planet.Withthe regularcarbonreductioncapture technologies, a
100 MW plantwouldhave todevote upto 50 MW of energyjustto runthe pollutionequipment.The
breakthroughof thisnon-thermal plasmasystemisthatit usesonly5% of the “motherplant” poweror
“parasiticdraw” to powerthe carbonextractionprocess.Air-qualitytestingisshowing a50 to 70%
reductioninCO2,CO, SO2 and N02. Oftentimes,the treatedeffluentcanbe returnedtothe cold air
intake toincrease engine orpower plantefficiency by8 to 12%. Financial investmentcalculations
indicate a3 to 5 yearpaybackperiod.Soif the non-thermal plasmacarbonconversiontechnologycan
be rampedup and be retrofittedonmajorpowerplantsaroundthe world,the worldwill have agreat
chance to reduce carbon release while still usingcoal asa mainfuel source inplaceslike IndiaandChina.
The Presidentof Chinahasalreadyannouncedthatthatcountry will gotothe carbon cap and trade
systemin2017. The leadersinChinawill notallow thatcountrytohave its economic growthhampered
by tryingto convertto a majorfuel source otherthancoal. Chinahasannouncedthat itwill build200
newcoal firedpowerplantsinthe nextfive years.Indiahasannouncedthatitwill build150coal-fired
powerplants.The onlywayto addressairpollutionandcarboncontaminationof the atmosphere isto
install carbonconversiontechnologythatwill reduce the carbonrelease butallow coal tobe usedin
bothChinaand India.
The future for energyabundance isverybright.Yetthe reallygoodnewsisthatcarbon can be reduced
to haltclimate change inthe nick of time and forthe benefitof ourchildrenandtheirchildren.
Michael GarvinAssociate Director
REACH Program
GalvinCenterforElectricityInnovation
IllinoisInstituteof Technology
Michael@renais.org
Op-Ed Piece on Climate Change

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Op-Ed Piece on Climate Change

  • 1. NewDiscoverieshave ClearedPath to StoppingClimate Change Op-Ed Piece by Michael Garvin Americanshave facedmonumentalchallengesmanytimesoverthe course of ourhistory.We noware facinga challenge to ourworldin the formof climate change.I likenthe challengesthatwe face to those challengesthatwe facedatthe start of WorldWar II. I am an energyresearcherbasedatthe IllinoisInstituteof TechnologyinChicago. Energyresearchersnow know the three orfourtechnologies that are neededtodevelopthatwouldexpand energyabundance and aswell asreduce carbonrelease. The firstmajor discoverywasa systemthatextractscarbon fromfossil fuel powerplantexhaust by passingitthrougha non-thermal plasmafield.Thiswill allowglobal energysystemstodramatically reduce carbonrelease while managingthe existingfleetof plantsuntil othercleanerformsof powercan be fullydeveloped. Ourwaron energypovertyandclimate change centersaroundsuchtechnologiesas carbon extraction,energystorage,hydrogen andwave energy.The realityof this waristhat the United Statesmay contribute the technologiesbutreallycannotimpactcarbonrelease withoutthe involvementof countrieslikeChinaandIndia.Inthe nextfew decades,the combinedcarbonrelease in Indiaand Chinawill faroutstripthe release fromthe EuropeanUnionandUnitedStates.Soanysolution mustrecognize the realityof the factthat bothIndiaand Chinarelyon coal for 80% of theirelectricity generation.The Presidentof Chinahasalready announcedthathe will have coal at the centerof their energynetwork.Sothe developmentof carbonextractiontechnologiesforcoal firedpowerplant exhaustiscritical tothe survival of the planet.Withthe regularcarbonreductioncapture technologies, a 100 MW plantwouldhave todevote upto 50 MW of energyjustto runthe pollutionequipment.The breakthroughof thisnon-thermal plasmasystemisthatit usesonly5% of the “motherplant” poweror “parasiticdraw” to powerthe carbonextractionprocess.Air-qualitytestingisshowing a50 to 70% reductioninCO2,CO, SO2 and N02. Oftentimes,the treatedeffluentcanbe returnedtothe cold air intake toincrease engine orpower plantefficiency by8 to 12%. Financial investmentcalculations indicate a3 to 5 yearpaybackperiod.Soif the non-thermal plasmacarbonconversiontechnologycan be rampedup and be retrofittedonmajorpowerplantsaroundthe world,the worldwill have agreat chance to reduce carbon release while still usingcoal asa mainfuel source inplaceslike IndiaandChina. The Presidentof Chinahasalreadyannouncedthatthatcountry will gotothe carbon cap and trade systemin2017. The leadersinChinawill notallow thatcountrytohave its economic growthhampered by tryingto convertto a majorfuel source otherthancoal. Chinahasannouncedthat itwill build200 newcoal firedpowerplantsinthe nextfive years.Indiahasannouncedthatitwill build150coal-fired powerplants.The onlywayto addressairpollutionandcarboncontaminationof the atmosphere isto install carbonconversiontechnologythatwill reduce the carbonrelease butallow coal tobe usedin bothChinaand India. The future for energyabundance isverybright.Yetthe reallygoodnewsisthatcarbon can be reduced to haltclimate change inthe nick of time and forthe benefitof ourchildrenandtheirchildren. Michael GarvinAssociate Director REACH Program GalvinCenterforElectricityInnovation IllinoisInstituteof Technology Michael@renais.org