Fossil-Free Hydrocarbons by dennis

"In the United States, roughly 23% of all energy is used in industrial applications such as petroleum cracking and plastics manufacture, many of which need temperatures of at least 700 °C. Currently, those temperatures tend to be generated by burning natural gas; high-temperature reactors could provide a zero-carbon alternative. "A number of commercial high-temperature reactors are under development around the world. But this year, a consortium of petrochemical companies and reactor manufacturers agreed to back the Antares high-temperature reactor design from the French company AREVA, based in Paris." http://www.nature.com/news/nuclear-energy-radical-reactors-1.11957 This could be a first step along the path described in this proposal.

Interesting proposal with a heavy reliance on groundbreaking technology. Unfortunately our main concerns are regarding the reliance on not one but two new and unproven technologies, one in nuclear heat generation and the other in CO2 from air technology. There are some serious concerns regarding the feasibility of CO2 from air technology as well as concerns reading the appetitive for new nuclear solutions and investment one the next 50 years. Greater consideration of CCS should have been considered (instead of CO2 from air) and a stronger course of action proposed.