Sir Richard Branson en Al Gore: The Virgin Earth Challenge - Eleven Finalists Announced
Geschreven op 12-2-2008 - Erik van Erne. Geplaatst in Duurzaam, Energie en Besparing, Klimaat
31 juli 2019: After the stage-gated review of thousands of proposals, we took very deep dives into the leading submissions making use of world-experts from various institutions, business sectors and universities.
This feedback was collated by the VEC team, and we found that nothing yet sufficiently met enough of the criteria to be put to a final judgement. However… we did identify a handful entries that were clearly a cut above the rest. Entries that showed a strong chance of being able to get to a winning point as they move forward.
These entries are the Virgin Earth Challenge finalists:
Biochar Solutions: Biochar Solutions Inc is developing a Network of distributed carbon sequestration and soil restoration capacity by designing, producing, and selling continuous process industrial equipment to convert forest residues (carbon liabilities) into biochar and bioenergy (carbon solutions).
Biorecro: Pioneers of Bio-Energy and Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS), Biorecro’s “carbon clean-up” service delivers negative emissions by tying energy produced from burning biomass to a carbon capture and storage process.
Black Carbon: The Danish integrated biochar systems company Black Carbon have developed their BC300 technology system that creates both biochar and energy from waste biomass.
Carbon Engineering: The direct air capture company from Calgary, Carbon Engineering (CE) integrates proprietary designs with existing industrial technologies to capture CO2 directly from the air. Carbon dioxide removal. Negative emissions technologies. Direct air capture. CO2 scrubbers.
Carbon Sink: Through Infinitree LLC, a B corp. venture, Direct Air Capture technology developer Carbon Sink (also a B corp.) captures carbon dioxide from thin air and recycles it to use in greenhouses. The added CO2 allows the greenhouses to grow more food with less water and less fertilizer.
Climeworks: The industriously entrepreneurial team at Climeworks GmbH, spun out of ETH Zurich, are developing a cost effective CO2 air-capture technology. In addition to negative-emissions in the long term, Climeworks are targeting the use of renewably-powered and efficiently air-captured CO2 in lucrative synthetic fuel processes in the near future. Direct air capture, carbon dioxide removal, negative-emissions. CO2 scrubbers. Removing GHGs from the atmosphere. Air to fuels. Fuel synthesis. Renewable Hydrocarbons. Renewable fuels.
Coaway: Operating out of New York, COAWAY use a unique process for removing CO2 from the air and propose using existing power plant cooling towers that already move large quantities of air to create the necessary throughput for the carbon capture process. Cooling towers, direct air capture.
Full Circle Biochar: Integrated biochar systems pioneers - Full Circle Biochar - offer proprietary biochar products that are scalable and profitable in major agricultural markets around the globe – notably its BioCore TM and BioCharge TM offerings which are standardised and stabilised biochar products.
Global Thermostat: Global Thermostat powers its CO2 air capture technology with low-cost left over process heat emanating from power plants, cement smelters, refineries and other industrial operations. Direct air capture. CO2 scrubbers. Carbon negative solution.
Savory Institute: The Savory Institute is the home of Holistic Management, a decision making framework which results in ecologically regenerative, economically viable and socially sound management of the world’s grasslands. Regenerative grazing, soil carbon, ecosystem sequestration, combating desertification, land use.
Smart Stones: Based on the research of Prof. Dr. R.D. Schuiling from the Faculty of Geosciences at Utrecht University, Smart Stones promote a process for mining, milling and spreading Olivine, which naturally bonds with Carbon dioxide.
12 februari 2008: Afgelopen zaterdag hebben Sir Richard Branson en Al Gore de voorwaarden bekend gemaakt voor de al eerder aangekondigde super wetenschaps en technologie prijs met een prijzengeld van maar liefst 25 miljoen dollar.
The Virgin Earth Challenge is vanaf nu geopend voor deelname. Voorlopig kunt u vijf jaar lang uw plannen insturen. Die moeten wel echt zoden aan de dijk zetten, anders kunt u zich de moeite van de inschrijving beter besparen. De jury wordt gevormd door: Al Gore, Sir Crispin Tickell, Tim Flannery, Jim Hansen, James Lovelock en uiteraard Sir Richard himself.
U kunt het deelname formulier hier downloaden. Komt u er met deze challenge niet uit dan kunt u het natuurlijk ook nog even proberen bij de Zayed Future Energy Prize.
Thijs zegt:
18 april 2008 om 14:38 | Permalink
Al Gore in de jury? Dan besteed ik mijn energie wel aan iets beters.