Carbon Clean Solutions has offices in India, US, UK.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: A US-based research facility has offered to help India solve its ever-growing energy problem by helping India’s energy sector develop and implement its own carbon capture technologies.
India’s Carbon Clean Solutions (CSS) is set to begin capturing and processing carbon within the coming weeks. The start-up company is based in India, but has office in the UK and US, too. Founded in 2009, CSS describes itself as “an innovation leader in carbon dioxide (CO2) separation technology for industrial and gas treating applications,” and was created in order to “develop new solvents for carbon dioxide separation with a focus on flue gases from power and industrial utilities.”
The company will be working with the US Department of Energy’s National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC), located in Wilsonville, Alabama. The facility was created in 2008, and has made significant strides towards reducing the amount of toxic fumes emitted into the atmosphere. The NCCC has already had partnerships with energy firms from Canada, Japan, and Norway, but this is their first collaboration with India.
But what does the US have to gain by helping India’s energy sector? A cleaner environment, with a drastic reduction in CO2 emission – a core component of President Barack Obama’s agenda since 2009.
It’s no secret that India, like many other developing Asian countries, has a massive problem with pollution. Smog and other potentially noxious gases fill the atmosphere, and are especially thick in urban areas like Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Bangalore. President Obama has been on a mission to instigate a “clean energy revolution” not just in his home country, but throughout the world. By reaching out to India, the US is making a conscious effort to hit one of the major sources of world pollution, and also extend a helping hand to a friend.
Once the collaboration between the CSS and NCCC proves to be both productive and cost-effective, the same plan will be implemented with other countries, too. The US is hoping that continued collaboration with nations that have smog problems will lead to a drastic reduction in CO2 production, helping the ozone layer and delaying the harmful effects of global warming.
There is no firm timetable yet, however, on how long this pilot program with India is expected to take.
To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com