Google runs gas for its data centers

Google’s latest pledge to support new clean energy technology is… a gas project? To be precise, it’s a gas-fired power plant equipped with filtration devices to capture carbon emissions that heat the planet. Is this just a polluting fossil fuel project in sheep’s clothing?

Google has just signed an agreement to support the development of a new gas-fired power plant in Illinois called… Broadwing Energy Center. will be paired with Carbon capture and storage (CCS)The technology aims to filter carbon dioxide from stack emissions and then store it underground so the greenhouse gas does not accumulate in the atmosphere.

In theory, that should help the planet avoid warming beyond the point at which sea level rise would render entire coastal communities stranded. Unfit to live And ocean warming It kills the world’s coral reefsamong other disasters caused by climate change. In fact, carbon capture and storage is mired in doubts about its technical and financial feasibility. There is also a great deal of skepticism about whether carbon capture and storage will only prolong dependence on fossil fuels rather than encourage the transition to more sustainable energy sources, such as solar and wind.

Google says it has agreed to buy “most” of the power produced by the new 400-megawatt power plant at Broadwing once it becomes operational in 2030. “Our goal is to help bring promising new carbon capture and storage solutions to market while learning and innovating quickly,” Google says in its statement. advertisement today.

So far, CCS has had a very checkered track record in the US. The US Department of Energy (DOE) has Hundreds of millions of dollars were burned on failed carbon dioxide capture and storage projects, according to the 2021 plan a report By the Government Accountability Office. Of the nearly $684 million spent on carbon dioxide capture and storage projects at six coal plants, only one of them is operational. Other projects suffered from “factors affecting their economic viability,” the GAO report says.

The cost of electricity from power plants with carbon capture is at least 1.5 to 2 times more expensive of that generated by conventional solar, wind, coal and gas power plants that do not have carbon capture and storage, according to the 2023 report. a report Based on facilities in Australia. Indeed, demand for electricity from data centers has increased Contributed to higher utility bills In the United States.

Single CCS project moving forward In the US with support from the Department of Energy, it was commissioned in 2017 before shutting down for a few years starting in 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic led to a collapse in oil prices. Why was it so sensitive to oil prices when the plant was burning coal? It supplied the captured carbon dioxide to “Enhance oil recovery“The project, a process that involves releasing carbon dioxide deep into the ground to force hard-to-reach reserves, was used as a way to survive financially.

The Google-backed project is different in several key ways. The plant burns the gas that becomes A Cheaper A method of generating energy from burning coal in the United States. The carbon dioxide will be sequestered a mile underground in a well near the power station, rather than sold as a product to enhance oil recovery. Google claims that Broadwing will be able to permanently store about 90 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions generated by the plant, a figure Higher than many other CCS projects I have managed to achieve so far.

This does not take into account other problems associated with gas-fired power plants. Although the industry prefers The term “natural gas” They primarily burn methane, a more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Methane Leaks routinely from oil and gas wells and pipelines, a problem that cannot be solved simply by capturing carbon dioxide in a power plant. It also produces gas plants Other air pollutants Which poses health risks to neighboring communities.

Onshore solar and wind farms do not and usually do not have the same climate pollution problems Cheaper to publish Of the power plants that run on fossil fuels these days. Google was one of them The largest buyers are companies renewable energy for years now, Wind and solar help become The fastest growing sources of new electricity generation.

Google didn’t mention this in its announcement today, however, perhaps reflecting the political tide turning against renewables in the US under the Trump administration. Donald Trump has appointed fossil fuel executives to lead… Department of Energy and Other major posts During his management Claw again Federal funds were previously allocated for renewable energy projects and Issuing stop work orders for Offshore wind farms under construction.

Republicans are Stop tax incentives For solar and wind projects, however Not for CCSBy the way. CCS needed financial support to help it get off the ground, and now it has another backer in Google. Google is trying to satiate power-hungry data centers by expanding its AI ambitions Our carbon footprint grew in the process.