From Andrew Benton, Flourtown, Pennsylvania, US
Scaling up direct air capture (DAC) raises many questions. How will the giant new plant be powered? In other words, how much carbon dioxide will be released into the atmosphere to power this plant?
What’s more, how long will such plants need to operate to remove the same amount of CO2 that was released as a result of their manufacture and construction?
And if the money it takes to build DAC plants was put into solar panels and/or wind turbines, would the lifetime reduction in atmospheric CO2 be similar, or maybe even better? Until I see some numbers, I am sceptical about the true value of DAC.
