Want to solve climate? Investing in materials is a good start

To deal with the growing effects of a changing climate, we need to make our communities more resilient. Much of that takes the shape of renewed #infrastructure. The irony? It’s pretty carbon-intensive to build new roads and bridges. How can we safeguard our cities against climate change, while not making a bad situation worse?

$120 billion in annual damages (and growing)

Right now, major storms, wildfires, floods, and other extreme weather events cause roughly $120 billion in damages every year. Depending on how #climatechange plays out (which largely depends on the pace at which we #decarbonize), that figure could grow substantially by the end of the century. According to the White House Office of Management and Budget, one of the largest drivers is hurricanes, which could create an additional $94 billion in annual disaster response costs by 2100 (a fact that’s maybe a little too close to home for us Floridians).?

With some climate effects already locked in, knowing how to rebuild greener is key. Lots of folks are focused on electrification and #renewableenergy — and that’s fantastic. But there’s a less glamorous side to the climate fight that can significantly drive down emissions: buildings and infrastructure (or, more specifically, the #materials they’re made out of).

The downside? They’re just about the hardest thing to decarbonize.?

Cement may be the glue holding our cities together, but it emits 2.3 billion tons of CO2 per year

Accounting for mass, #cement is the most widely used material in the world. We need it for our buildings, our bridges, our roads. But it’s got a big climate problem. In fact, if the #cementindustry were a country, it would be the third largest emitter in the world. Why so? Two main reasons:

1. High temperature. Traditionally, cement production requires incredibly elevated temperatures (something like 1400°C, or ~2550°F). It’s pretty hard to generate that kind of heat without burning #fossilfuels.?
2. Lime production, one of the key ingredients in cement. To create lime, you have to break down limestone (a mixture of calcium, oxygen, and carbon) by adding heat. The carbon gets released, combines with oxygen in the air, and continues on into our atmosphere as #CO2.?

Some innovators are already working on the temperature issue. Take Heliogen , a California-based startup that is amplifying temperatures through mirror-enhanced sunlight (I can’t be the only one who thinks of a little kid frying ants with a magnifying glass here, can I?).?

While the high temp issue seems solvable in the somewhat near term, making lime production less carbon-intensive will likely be a bit trickier. You could reduce the amount of lime in the end product, but that would decrease the material’s strength. How do we preserve needed strength while also driving down CO2 emissions? Like with other processes, the answer may lie in #carboncapture and storage.?

Steel isn’t any better, accounting for 7% of annual global emissions

Every single year, the world produces 1.8 billion tons of #steel. By 2050, that demand is expected to reach roughly 2.5 billion tons. But steel production has a lot of the same issues as cement, namely that production requires incredibly high temperatures (necessitating fossil fuels). Traditional blast furnace processes also use coke (a higher heat-producing version of coal) as a reducing agent to create iron from its ore.

To stick with the goals of the Paris climate agreement, steel will need to reduce its carbon intensity from 1.85 tons of CO2 per metric ton to a miniscule-by-comparison 0.2 tons. It looks like we’ve got our work cut out for us.?

Like with cement, some are already taking on the problem of high steel emissions. Startup Limelight Steel ’s technology focuses on more sustainably converting iron ore, with 40% less energy and zero emissions. Another, Colorado-based Electra , has developed low temperature iron ore refinement using zero-carbon intermittent electricity (down to only 60°C instead of 1600°C!).?

We have a path forward for sustainable cement and steel, but still a long way to go

So what do we do? It’s clear that #decarbonization of these materials will be much more complicated and costly than something like generating more electricity from #renewables. Right now, we don’t have any alternatives that could be effectively deployed at large scales to replace cement and steel. This is a process that will take time (possibly lots of it), as more and more options are discovered in the lab.?

Climate Deals of the Month

GenH2 signs strategic partnership for hydrogen production with HYDS - Hydrogen Solutions

GenH2 has agreed to supply green liquid hydrogen throughout the Scandinavian market, focusing on maritime #transportation applications. Their tech enables safe onsite liquefaction, storage, and distribution of hydrogen. Congrats to CEO Greg Gosnell and the entire team on this great accomplishment!

Nextracker Inc. raises $638 million in largest IPO this year

Raising 20% over expected, Nextracker secured the largest U.S. IPO since Mobileye went public last October, and the largest #solarenergy IPO in over two years. Nextracker is a #solar tracker and software provider company, whose clients include solar project developers and engineering firms that construct grid-scale solar projects. Congratulations to CEO Daniel Shugar on this big win for his team and for solar!

MIT-spinout Boston Metal announces $120 million funding round

As mentioned above, the $1.6 trillion steel industry needs major emissions reductions. #Startup Boston Metal is tackling this exact problem with their clean steel technology. Recent funding was led by Microsoft and international steel giant 安赛乐米塔尔集团 .?Boston Steel CEO Tadeu Carneiro puts it best: “There is no economy, there is no infrastructure without steel.”

Tesla announces $3.6 billion new factory in Nevada for electric semi-truck production

What could this mean for the trucking industry? If Tesla is as successful as they were with #electriccars, established truck manufacturers might soon face pressure to go zero tailpipe emissions sooner than planned. The announcement already presents a challenge to traditional truck makers, like Daimler and Volvo, that have been stalled on building promised #electricvehicles.

Battery startup Ionblox raises $32 million in Series B

The California-based company develops silicon anode #batteries specifically for electric #aviation. Ionblox’s tech provides up to 50% higher energy density and 5 times more power than other currently available options. Investors for this round include Lilium, Applied Ventures, Temasek Holdings, and Catalus Capital. Congrats to CEO Sujeet Kumar and the whole team!

For more in the world of energy, keep an eye out for next month’s issue of Climate Buzz!