As individuals, businesses and nations of the world seek ways to reduce carbon use and reverse its impact on our planet, a wide range of solutions are under consideration – from retrofitting power plants to operate on alternative fuels to enhancing oil recovery and carbon capture methods.
Clearly, some ways of reducing carbon are easier and cost less than others. Vattenfall, a Swedish power utility, has tried to quantify which ones would be worth undertaking at what price.
Interestingly, the Vattenfall research* revealed something Dow has known for a long time: Building insulation is one of the best ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save money, and boost economic growth. For example, when used as a precursor and a complement to renewable energy sources such as photovoltaics (solar energy), building insulation can take solar generated power from an energy offset to a contributing energy source. This happens through “net metering” (in essence, giving surplus energy back to the grid).
Have we stimulated some questions? Dow has answers.
*Study conducted by McKinsey & Company and Vattenfall
