r/science • u/Wagamaga • Aug 06 '20

Chemistry Turning carbon dioxide into liquid fuel. Scientists have discovered a new electrocatalyst that converts carbon dioxide (CO2) and water into ethanol with very high energy efficiency, high selectivity for the desired final product and low cost.

https://www.anl.gov/article/turning-carbon-dioxide-into-liquid-fuel
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u/Donkey__Balls Aug 06 '20

Yep we subsidize coal wall preventing and blocking any research on trying to reduce the emissions, which is why gasification has had effectively zero research in the last 20 years. It’s like we’re deliberately trying to make more CO2 while spending as much as possible.

Solar especially photovoltaic is seeing a whole new elaborate subsidy structure, I can’t even keep track of it it’s so complicated . Pretty much everything is subsidized now except nuclear. Go figure.

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u/De5perad0 Aug 06 '20 edited Aug 06 '20

Yea. Nuclear is getting out completed by natural gas and wind and solar. The up front costs are just too much. We need to think less about the upstream side and more the downstream side. Base subsidies on per watt emissions and things will get a whole lot cleaner a whole lot faster.