Clean use of fossil fuels

Highly-regarded predictions assume that in the 21^st century, fossil fuels will remain our most importance source of energy. The primary focus of this website is the development of alternative – sustainable – forms of energy generation. It is however an inescapable fact that a substantial proportion of sustainable sources for the world's energy supply will not be sufficiently advanced for a number of decades to come. In the meantime, it is therefore necessary to focus upon limiting, as much as possible, the damage caused by the use of fossil fuels. The ‘clean use of fossil fuels’ is understood to involve the limitation of the harmful side effects of CO₂ emissions as much as possible. In simple terms, there are two options: either we use smaller quantities of fossil fuels, or we ensure that CO₂, which results from the burning of fossil fuels, does not end up in the atmosphere.

This website will devote very little attention to energy-saving. Not, however, because energy saving is an unimportant factor in the energy debate. Quite the opposite. These days it is - literally – possible to derive considerable profit from reducing energy consumption. On a worldwide scale, however, it is unlikely that the demand for energy and therefore the resulting CO₂ emissions will reduce, however large the amount of energy that is saved within the developed economies. After all, new major players such as China, India and Brazil will not limit their growth due to our need to save energy. For this reason, we are prioritising the development of new, sustainable energy sources that in time will be able to compete on a commercial level with fossil fuels. A further, more practical reason lies in the fact that energy-saving is also an unbelievably broad field. It is possible to make savings with any form of energy, whether this is in the transport sector, the built environment, electricity generation or the (chemical) industry. Moreover, energy-saving affects almost all areas of technology.

The 'clean use of fossil fuels’ is understood to refer to the avoidance of CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere when using fossil fuels. Storing CO₂ in the ground or in the sea will enable the atmosphere to remain clean. An installation that pumps carbon dioxide into the ground could be connected directly to a power station. In view of the fact that in the future it will become necessary to switch to sustainable energy supplies alone, the storage of CO₂ represents a temporary means of limiting the greenhouse effect.

Storing the CO₂ is, in itself, not free of charge, however. It will be necessary to make use of subsidies or Kyoto guidelines to encourage or oblige companies to store their CO₂. In addition, the additional energy consumption for the storage itself will need to be incorporated into the overall balance. It is difficult, however, to predict the long-term consequences of CO₂ storage. Scientists have predicted that CO₂ stored underground will dissolve in the water that is found there. In view of the fact that water containing dissolved CO₂ is heavier than ordinary water, the CO₂ dissolved in water will sink deeper and deeper, thereby reducing the long-term risks of leakage to the earth’s surface. Reactions with the mineral content in rock will also cause part of the CO₂ to mineralise into a solid form. This process, too, is favourable for the long-term safety of geological storage. Natural gas reservoirs have demonstrated that under the right conditions, the earth is capable of containing gases for millions of years. In the case of underground CO₂ storage, what we are actually looking for is reservoirs that offer precisely the same, suitable conditions. Monitoring underground storage locations plays an important role in verifying the suitability of this type of storage.