4 ms·
> The higher the bar, the greater the cost. McKinsey’s analysis defines an upper cost threshold of €60 per tonne avoided (i.e. the chart only shows alternatives
by elihu 7y ago
> The higher the bar, the greater the cost. McKinsey’s analysis defines an upper cost threshold of €60 per tonne avoided (i.e. the chart only shows alternatives that are ‘cheaper’ than €60 per tonne).
60 Euros per ton doesn't seem terribly bad. Burning a gallon of gas generates about 20 pounds of CO2 (hydrogen from the gas bonds with oxygen from the air, resulting in CO2 emissions that weight about 3 times as much as the weight of the original gasoline). So, every time you refill a 15 gallon gas tank, that's about 300 pounds of CO2. I'm not sure if the chart uses metric tons (about 2200 pounds, let's say it does.
It looks like most of the CCS options on that chart are in the range of about 40 to 60 euros per ton. 60 euros * (300 pounds / 2200 pounds) is about 8.18 euros, or about 9 US dollars. That's significant; people would complain. It's not insurmountable though. People would still keep driving.
It's worth noting that the carbon capture options listed are specifically carbon capture from existing fossil fuel power plants. There may well be other carbon capture options that are cheaper, like sequestering carbon from plant biomass. (I didn't read the paper, maybe it goes into that.)