(Photo credit: Giada Connestari for SolveClimate News)

In Wyoming, a large potential Carbon storage site looks promising, but raises questions.  While the site could potentially hold up to 26 billion tons of CO2 (the entire US produces about 6 billion tons per year), the main challenge will be to adapt existing coal plants to capture the CO2 before it is released into the atmosphere.

The site is the largest in the world, and one of the most promising studied to date. Simulations show that it could absorb 15 million tons per year, but there are many more tests to be conducted before the site will be proven to be a viable storage option. So far, the data is positive and experts are optimistic that it will indeed prove to have the composition necessary to store, and hold large quantities of CO2.

However, even if this site lives up to expectations, it may require legislation to give the necessary incentive to companies to develop and implement costly carbon capture solutions. Sam Krevor, executive director of the Stanford Center for Carbon Storage is quoted as saying "[CCS] is not going to be a volunteer effort, if there is no price on carbon, if there is no regulatory, incentive or financial incentive to do this, this will not happen." In fact, a CCS project in West Virginia has been put on hold due to the fact that currently there is no cohesive climate policy that requires companies to invest in CCS solutions.

Future adoption  of CCS technology may depend on a combination of voluntary adoption of responsible practices by the industry, and government mandates to lessen the impact of CO2 released into the air.

Read the full article about the Wyoming site being tested here and the West Virginia site that is on hold here. (via SolveClimateNews.com)