CALDAC – A Feasibility Assessment of an Equity-Focused Regional Direct Air Capture Hub

November 2024

The Center for Law, Energy, and the Environment, in partnership with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, was recommended for award under the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Regional Direct Air Capture (DAC) Hubs Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). This project, called CALDAC, will undertake a comprehensive assessment of the technical, economic, social and governance feasibility of establishing a direct air capture hub that reflects and advances community goals and values and delivers meaningful community-defined benefits. 

Illustration showing the connected nature of CALDAC integrating multiple DAC technologies with other carbon removal technologies and renewable energy sources (Prepared by LBNL)
Illustration showing the connected nature of CALDAC integrating multiple DAC technologies with other carbon removal technologies and renewable energy sources. (Prepared by LBNL)

The feasibility assessment will include two intersecting and interconnected elements:

  1. Technical feasibility of the DAC Hub, including technology partners, location, business model, ownership, and CO2 storage/utilization option(s), and
  2. Social and governance feasibility of an innovative, community-led DAC hub design and ownership model that works with local stakeholders as core partners.

These two elements will be connected throughout the course of the project. 

CALDAC must be anchored by strong technical and technological capacity that is defined and shaped by the needs, concerns, and goals of the community in which it is situated. We seek to create a platform for co-creation among many community groups, environmental justice organizations, labor organizations, academic institutions, and technology providers. 

The award negotiation process with the U.S. Department of Energy was finalized this summer. The CALDAC project officially began August 1, 2024. This website will serve as a tool for information sharing and project updates. 


Project Materials

Files below were submitted as part of the application process and updated throughout the award negotiation phase.

UC Berkeley submitted this letter to DOE on February 17, 2023. The letter provides an early description of the project we intended to propose in the full application.

The Technical Volume is one piece of the formal application UC Berkeley submitted to DOE on March 13, 2023. The Technical Volume presents background and context for the project and the goals and aspirations for the project, if successful.

The one-page project summary is one piece of the formal application UC Berkeley submitted to DOE on March 13, 2023.

The Statement of Project Objectives (SOPO) outlines the tasks to be completed over the course of the project. The final SOPO was submitted to DOE on May 23, 2024 and was an update of the original document, submitted March 13, 2023. 

The Summary Slides were submitted to DOE on March 13, 2023 and provide a high level overview of the project.

The Community Benefits Outcomes and Objectives outlines benefit categories and timeline milestones, including conducting roundtables with environmental justice, labor, and other local organizations and establishing a Community Oversight Council. This will articulate community vision, goals, and constraints for a hub, and will be used to produce an initial hub design and ownership structure that addresses these criteria.

Please note: These documents represent a starting point for this project, which is being developed to partner with community and stakeholders in all aspects of the work. We anticipate and look forward to the project evolving and benefiting from this collaborative process.


Additional Project Materials

Files below will be additional materials put together as a result of the community engagement process. 

  • Carbon Removal Curriculum (coming soon)  

Research Partners

Technology Partners

University of California, Berkeley 

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 

AECOM

EPRI

California State University, Fresno

California State University, Bakersfield

PSE Clean Energy

Valley Onward 

Project 2030

Central California Asthma Collaborative

Capture6

Airmyne 

Origen Carbon Solutions

CarbonBuilt

Blue Planet Systems 

Mosaic

Rondo

Clean Energy Systems