At-a-Glance:
The largest biofuel manufacturer in the U.S., POET, announced a new goal this week of reaching carbon neutrality by the year 2050. The company said in a sustainability report that it has a number of benchmarks it aims to meet toward that objective, including reducing the carbon intensity of bioethanol by 70 percent and investing in technology to advance low-carbon bioproducts. The company also said it would aim to advance policies that support these goals. To learn more, read, “Biggest biofuel producer in US pledges carbon neutrality by 2050.”
Key Takeaways:
- Carbon neutrality differs from zero emissions as companies that commit to neutrality aim to offset their carbon footprint by attempting to remove the same amount of CO2 from the atmosphere that they contribute.
- Many companies do this by buying carbon offset credits that go toward sustainability projects.
- In its report, POET claimed to be the fastest-growing renewable CO2 business in the U.S.
- The company said it would “consider” numerous ways of reducing carbon emissions including investing in solar power as well as technologies to capture and store CO2.
Path to 100% Perspective:
Government agencies, communities and organizations are pledging to reach clean energy or carbon neutrality goals with ambitious timelines. However, the only way to reach these complex solutions in the next few decades is strategic planning and integration of multiple technologies. Biofuels have been part of the energy transition since the 1980’s, but the focus on biofuels gained more traction in the early 2000’s. Since then, the cost for renewable energy has dramatically increased which has increased the popularity for fuels produced by renewable energy such as hydrogen, ammonia and synthetic methane. POET’s increased focus and investment in emerging technologies could help to propel this biofuel manufacturer towards their carbon neutral goals and milestones.
Photo by Guillaume de Germain on Unsplash