Jan 17
What it means for DAC hubs to succeed
An original framework for evaluating hubs
Backed by $3.5 billion in federal funding, the Regional Direct Air Capture (DAC) Hubs program is a historic opportunity for the US to deploy carbon removal in a way that is just, equitable, and science driven. The launch of this program requires mobilizing the resources of different stakeholders for years to come — but it remains unclear what successful implementation of the program looks like.
Traditionally, DAC has been graded on technical metrics like cost, efficiency, scalability, and durability of storage, and while important, they don’t provide a complete view of a project’s success. For DAC hubs to have long-term viability and remove millions of tons of CO2 year over year, we need to understand the full range of factors underpinning their success and drive the policies that support them.
To that end, our experts have crafted an original framework that takes a dynamic approach to hubs, diving into the technical, economic, political, and justice markers of success. Our latest white paper, How Direct Air Capture Succeeds: A Framework for Effective DAC Hubs, aims to create a shared, field-wide understanding of success and provide the tools to meaningfully measure outcomes across time and perspectives. Acknowledging that obstacles are inevitable, the framework can be adapted across technological evolutions, program stages, and shifts in political power.
As the first-ever demonstration of large-scale DAC in the US, these hubs will have an outsized influence on the future of direct air capture and carbon removal at large. We have the opportunity now to lay the right foundation for a gigaton carbon removal industry, one that provides climate and economic benefits to communities across the country.
Read more in the full white paper.
To get in touch with our policy team, shoot us a note at policy@carbon180.org.
