Spurring low-carbon electrosynthesis through energy and innovation policy

Abstract

Summary Reaching the climate targets set in the Paris Agreement on climate change requires decarbonizing all parts of the global economy. The electrification of industry processes—and more specifically, electrosynthesis (ES)—is an important decarbonization mechanism. To tap into this mechanism's potential and accelerate the decarbonization of these processes, I argue that public policy needs to perform two tasks. First, energy policy needs to enable the provision of CO 2 emissions-free baseload electricity. Second, innovation policy needs to accelerate cost reductions for ES. Here, I discuss why this is the case, what the challenges are, how policy makers can address them, and how political ambition can be increased.

Carbon neutral manufacturing via on-site CO2 recycling

“…Sweden and Portugal). Savings are projected to drastically increase with further reductions in the price of renewable sourced power or with wider adoption of CO 2 taxes and other policies supporting decarbonization ( Schmidt, 2021 ), which will encourage investment in CO2R retrofit projects.…”

2022 roadmap on low temperature electrochemical CO2 reduction

“…Finally, it remains worrying that, despite tremendous efforts in catalyst design, the barrier for electrosynthesized chemicals and fuels to enter the market (including green hydrogen) might remain too high for too long without bolder policy incentives [188]. Instead of relying on established technologies to ensure energy security when supply from photovoltaics and wind is low, stronger incentives could pave the way for electrosynthesis of fuels and chemicals to be increasingly seen as an economic opportunity and not only as a potent decarbonization strategy.…”

Process modeling, techno-economic assessment, and life cycle assessment of the electrochemical reduction of CO2: a review

“…In particular, policy-makers become a pivotal actor in the adoption of ECO2R through carbon taxes and incentives to clean technologies. Proposed strategies to manage the decarbonization transition (Bataille et al, 2018) have to be complemented with specific policies on the provision of CO 2 emission-free baseload electricity (Schmidt, 2021). Transition plans should be tailored to the individual industries and respond to changing policy support needs as technology develops (Binz et al, 2017).…”