Carbon Neutral Solutions

Effective Carbon Utilization

Creating new, renewable, sources of energy, and finding ways to store it, are key components of a carbon neutral future. Additionally, finding the most effective ways to capture, convert, and repurpose CO2 and discovering green alternatives to limit the use of greenhouse gases, helps support carbon reduction efforts.

Toshiba’s Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) solutions seek to capture CO2 at its source, store it, and utilize it for other projects such as cultivating crops or culturing algae. One of Toshiba’s largest carbon capture designs was developed to capture more than 600 tons of CO2 a day which is over 50 percent of the power plant’s daily emissions.

Large Scale Carbon Capture Production

Toshiba, in conjunction with 18 partner organizations, constructed one of the world’s largest Carbon Capture plants. The Mikawa Power Plant captures more than 600 tons-CO2/day, corresponding to more than 50% of emitted CO2. Nearly 13,000 operating hours of testing, operating, and implementing best practices have been gathered at the CCUS plant.

To learn more about the success at Mikawa, download the case study report which gives an in-depth overview of how the plant has been operating, or listen to highlights of the plant in this short podcast, “Lessons Learned from the Mikawa Post Combustion Capture Pilot Plant.”

Repurposing Carbon and Other Reduction Strategies

In a similar effort to repurpose carbon, the Power to Chemicals (P2C) process converts CO2 to carbon monoxide using electrolysis. The resulting raw material can then be used to make plastics, paints, fuels, and pharmaceuticals. Toshiba developed a proprietary electrocatalyst electrode that can convert CO2 without the need to dissolve it in water, as previous systems required. The technology instead allows CO2 gas to react with the water as both interact with the electrocatalyst, accelerating the transformation and making this method the most efficient CO2 conversion technology available today.

Another reduction strategy is substituting a green alternative for sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), a greenhouse gas that has 23,500 times the global warming potential that CO2 does. SF6 is typically used to insulate switchgear within an electric power system but can be replaced with less harmful alternatives. In a partnership with Meidensha, Toshiba is developing a gas insulated switchgear (GIS) using a natural origin gas that does not contain SF6.

Energy Storage With Hydrogen Conversion

Storage is a current challenge facing renewable energy developers. Wind and solar power are especially variable due to constantly changing weather conditions. Power stations must then find ways to store excess energy and regulate output. One way to do accomplish this is to convert energy to hydrogen, which can be stored and transported easily.

Fukushima Hydrogen Energy Research Field (FH2R) in Japan is doing just that. Currently FH2R is the world’s largest-class hydrogen production facility3. FH2R can produce as much as 1,200 Nm3 of hydrogen per hour using renewable energy - this is the equivalent of the average electricity consumption of 150 households for one month. The hydrogen produced at FH2R helps stabilize the power grid by adjusting to supply and demand, and also fuels green transportation options such as hydrogen-powered cars and buses.

Hydrogen Fuel Cells

Hydrogen fuel cells can be widely used across multiple applications and industries. These fuel cells generate electricity through an electrochemical reaction, in a similar way to traditional batteries. However, unlike batteries, fuel cells do not need to be periodically recharged and continue to produce electricity when a fuel source is provided.

Fuel cells are already used to power public transport vehicles, with ongoing research into the widespread use of hydrogen. Hydrogen can be transported as a gas via pipelines or in liquid form by ships to its destination where it can be transformed into electricity for usage.

The storage and stability capabilities provided by hydrogen make it an ideal solution for backup power systems and other off-grid and remote applications, such as providing data center resilience and emergency fuel supplies. It also helps address grid-balancing issues where availability is not always well matched to demand.

As nations around the world seek a carbon neutral future, Toshiba is leading the way with a range of solutions, from renewable energy to CO2 reuse and savings. Together, we can create a more sustainable future.