The search is on worldwide to find ways to extract carbon dioxide from the air or from power plant exhaust and then make it into something useful. One of the more promising ideas is to make it into a stable fuel that can replace fossil fuels in some applications. But most such conversion processes have had problems with low carbon efficiency, or they produce fuels that can be hard to handle, toxic, or flammable.
We’re living through a remarkable period in the evolution of international energy markets. Amid the turmoil and trade disruptions caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, concerns about energy reliability and security suddenly reappeared. For many months, the higher energy costs linked to the war hammered consumers and businesses across the globe. The situation has stabilized somewhat in 2023, but the war’s impacts on energy markets remain.
A large majority of medium-sized companies want to invest in renewable energies. However, long approval procedures are the main obstacle to expansion.
Sharp increases in energy prices and fears about security of supply are leading more and more SMEs to rely on their own electricity from wind and solar power. "The war in Ukraine has woken up many entrepreneurs," said an industry expert.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the resulting international backlash have plunged energy markets into chaos, threatening dire economic consequences that rival those of the 1970s oil shocks.
