Xavier Navarro
Filed under: Legislation and Policy, Carbon Capture

Carbon capture is here and the EU is trying hard to push it forward. In an article published by economy newspaper Cinco Días, it's explained that the big problem is overcoming the high costs associated with the process. It's estimated that reducing 80 to 90 percent of the CO2 emissions from a power plant increases the price of energy 35 to 85 percent. Experts mentioned by the newspaper state that a reasonable target for 2020 is making carbon capture affordable at 20 to 30 EUR per ton.

According to this article, the message is clear. Without carbon capturing, the EU can't meet its ambitious emissions targets: cutting CO2 emissions in half by 2050. There are about a dozen of projects which might show positive progress using technologies such as precombustion, oxicombustion and postcombustion, but these results won't be ready at least until 2015.

Nevertheless the European Commission has decided to take a step forward in this direction and is planning legislation in early 2008 to back up these technologies legally, technically and financially. However, don't expect this to be mandatory legislation, which is something environmental groups would like it to be. The bill will ban these technologies from being used outside the boundaries of the EU and under 3,000 meters (9,000 ft) from the surface of the sea. Carbon capture won't be considered either for carbon trading schemes.

In a few words: expect CO2 capturing to arrive soon in Europe, but only at power plants and/or big industries. This CO2 will be somehow extracted from the combustion processes and will be transported like natural gas and stored in old gas or oil wells, salty aquifers or coal mines.

Related:

• Pioneering European CO2 capture plant coming to Spain in 2009
• Austrailian lawmakers argue global warming and sequestration
• First carbon capture facility in Florida

[Source: Cinco Días via Econoticias (link is in Spanish)]

Source: Europe decides to push forward with carbon capture

In all honesty, when a friend pointed out this video, we were not only convinced that it was a hoax, but a badly edited one too. However, before we made a fool of ourselves, we checked it out repeatedly comparing still images of the interior with the Lamborghini Reventon pictures (click here). To our surprise, we didn’t find any flaws or details supporting that what we were seeing here wasn’t the Reventon.

But seriously now; a big magazine like Popular Science gets the chance to drive an extremely rare (20 examples) and expensive ($1.5 million) supercar like the Lamborghini Reventon and this is what they come up with – an amateur taped and edited video that most people think it’s fake? Think it’s time we started asking for test drives here at Carscoop…

Link: Popular Science

Source: Lamborghini Reventon Test Drive by Popular Science Mag

Featuring an all-new paint scheme, extensive carbon fiber racing parts and a rally-prepped 2.0-liter Boxer engine developing approximately 325 HP and 425 lb.-ft. of torque, the 2008 Impreza WRX 5-door Rally prototype was created by Subaru Rally Team USA. According to Subaru USA, the rally-ready WRX will be campaigned in the 2008 season by SRTUSA rally driver Ken Block and 2006 and 2007 Rally America National Champion, Travis Pastrana.

Source: Subaru Rally Team USA Impreza WRX Prototype At SEMA