This technology has been around for over two decades at least [1], and the reluctance of the Department of Energy and the investor-owned-utility sector to adopt

This technology has been around for over two decades at least [1], and the reluctance of the Department of Energy and the investor-owned-utility sector to adopt it is really only due to the political pressure applied by the natural-gas sector, as the resulting fall in demand for natural gas would have made fracking for gas uneconomical. Note that both political parties in the USA got behind this fossil fuel agenda, it's entirely bipartisan in nature (the fracking boom took place under Obama, and was continued under Trump, and was boosted by the Ukraine war and sanctions on Russia, which resulted in increased LNG exports to Europe). [1] "Methanol synthesis from flue-gas CO2 and renewable electricity: a feasibility study" (2003) (available in full on sci-hub) > "This paper describes a novel but proven process (CO2+3H2→CH3OH+H2O) which could be adapted to use, as input reagents, CO2 emitted from fossil-fuelled power stations and hydrogen from electrolysis of water by a zero-emissions electricity source, e.g. renewable and/or nuclear energy. This approach, in addition to addressing the above two issues, would produce methanol for which there is a ready and expanding market." One generally solid conclusion is that the countries that have to import fossil fuels are going to be the ones leading in transitioning off fossil fuels, and as expected, China is ahead in this technological sector as well: https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/09/30/1060508/china-betting-methanol-cars/ https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/09/30/1060508/china-be...