Location-Agnostic, Renewable Energy Powered Direct Air Capture for Deployment Across California
Summary
SCH Number
2025041226
Public Agency
California Energy Commission
Document Title
Location-Agnostic, Renewable Energy Powered Direct Air Capture for Deployment Across California
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
4/24/2025
Document Description
Aircapture is proposing to conduct lab experimentation to design, construct, and commission a functional microwave direct air capture system for laboratory-scale testing and assessment. Their goal is to reduce the cost and energy consumption of their technology, which will help the future economic and environmental sustainability of direct air capture technology. They will be conducting their work inside of a laboratory and via paper studies.
Contact Information
Name
Paty De La Torre
Agency Name
California Energy Commission
Job Title
Electric Generation System Specialist I
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Address
Phone
Name
Rachel Smith
Agency Name
AirCapture LLC
Job Title
Project Manager
Contact Types
Project Applicant
Phone
Location
Coordinates
Cities
Berkeley
Counties
Alameda
Regions
Northern California
Cross Streets
Seventh Street and Dwight Way
Zip
94710
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, § 15301
Reasons for Exemption
California Code of Regulations, title 14, section 15301 provides that projects which consist of the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, and which have negligible or no expansion of existing or former use, are categorically exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). This project involves the design, development, and testing of a microwave energy-assisted direct air capture (DAC) system at an existing laboratory facility and will involve the operation of mechanical equipment. This project involves laboratory-scale testing and data evaluation. Therefore, this project is exempt from the requirements of CEQA under section 15301. This project does not involve impacts on any particularly sensitive environment; does not involve any cumulative impacts of successive projects of the same type in the same place that might be considered significant; does not involve unusual circumstances that might have a significant effect on the environment; will not result in damage to scenic resources within a highway officially designated as a state scenic highway; the project site is not included on any list compiled pursuant to Government Code section 65962.5; and the project will not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource. Therefore, none of the exceptions to categorical exemptions listed in CEQA Guidelines section 15300.2 apply.
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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