Amsterdam-based startup Skytree will use its CO2 sucking machines in a newly announced carbon capture and storage project in Texas, USA.
The $100 million Direct Air Capture (DAC) facility, called Project Concho, aims to initially suck 30,000 tons of carbon from the atmosphere annually and eventually scale up to 500,000 tons. This carbon is permanently stored on site underground.
The facility is expected to be operational in 2028, a Skytree representative told TNW via email.
Project Concho is led by carbon capture developers Return Carbon of the Netherlands and Verified Carbon of Texas. They will generate revenue from the facility by selling carbon credits to companies that want to offset their emissions.
The partners selected Skytree for carbon vacuum cleaner cleaning. Founded in 2014, Skytree's technology is based on the carbon scrubbers used aboard the International Space Station, which remove excess CO2 produced from astronauts' breath.
Skytree makes two machines: Cumulus for small applications and an industrial-scale machine called Stratus. Project Concho will deploy dozens of these units together to form a single hub.
“Project Concho is a unique collaboration that opens the door to even more ambitious and transformative carbon removal projects,” said Elena Nikonova, Vice President of Skytree has recently opened offices in the US and Canada.
The developers plan to power the hub using an on-site wind farm built by Spanish energy company Greenalia. This would make it the world's first DAC project to be powered entirely by wind energy, they said.
A symbiotic relationship?
The Concho project represents a rare collaboration between a DAC facility and a wind energy provider, but one that could serve as a blueprint for future facilities.
The carbon capture system guarantees that it will continuously purchase wind energy, giving the wind farm a stable customer and predictable income. In return, the DAC plant receives low-cost, renewable energy, which is critical to reducing the high operating costs of large-scale carbon capture. In addition, this agreement ensures stability and flexibility in energy prices, making it easier for both partners to plan and grow efficiently.
Alexandre Alonso, SVP of Business Development at Greenalia, called this a “game-changer” for renewable energy projects.
Projecto Concho comes amid a boom in carbon capture projects in the U.S., fueled in part by generous government subsidies. Last month, the Biden-Harris administration, announced plans Providing up to $1.8 billion in funding to support DAC technologies. This builds on the 45Q tax credit provided for in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. The incentive provides up to $180 per ton of CO2 captured and stored.
“The U.S. continues to see growing demand for proven, cost-effectivescalable DAC technology based on industry needs and supported by government,” said Skytree CEO Rob van Straten.
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