Are we really doing enough so far to be fit for the future in terms of Europe’s energy supply?
Thorsten Rixmann, Chief Marketing Officer of the Obrist Group, obviously thinks: NO! And appeals to Ursula von der Leyen: “Create the basis for a renewable, base-load-capable and affordable energy supply for Europe with a green methanol economy.”
Background:
The German-Austrian industrial group has developed a concept for so-called gigaplants, a type of giant solar park that does not supply electricity, but green methanol. During production, more climate-damaging carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere than is released during subsequent use. As a result, the gigaplants are CO2-negative and therefore climate-positive.
Advantages:
1/ The Obrist Gigaplants supply liquid methanol for less than six cents per kilowatt hour, far cheaper than any other known energy source.
2/The high economic efficiency results from the operation of the gigaplants in the Earth’s sun belt, where solar power is available at a cost of just 0.88 cents or even less per kilowatt hour due to the intensity of the sun.
3/ In contrast to other sustainable energy generation methods such as photovoltaics or wind power, methanol is base-load capable, meaning it is available regardless of weather conditions.
4/ Methanol is liquid at normal temperature and can therefore be transported via all transportation routes that already exist today for fossil fuels.
Rixmann continued:
“Europe now has the opportunity to take the lead in renewable, base-load capable and affordable energy as the engine of a global methanol economy. In view of the energy policy and economic upheavals of recent years, it has become clear that a reliable energy supply at internationally competitive costs is essential in order to maintain industrialization as the basis for our prosperity. Green methanol offers the ideal basis for this, without losing sight of climate protection.”
We are keeping our fingers crossed!
