Global strategic deployment of Direct Air Capture technologies

Direct Air Capture (DAC) is a promising negative emission technology with the potential to remove excess CO 2 from the atmosphere. The levelized cost of solid sorbent (S-DAC) and liquid solvent DAC (L-DAC) is highly region-specific, driven by variability in weather conditions and renewable energy potential. This necessitates a holistic, global assessment that combines these two technologies with the highest technology readiness levels to identify cost-optimal locations for DAC deployment. Here, we identified optimal locations for S-DAC and L -DAC using an hourly cost optimization model that incorporates weather-driven performance and region-specific solar, wind, and geothermal energy resources under fully electric and hybrid energy configurations, where hybrid systems combine electric and direct renewable heat. We show that DAC deployment is cost-optimal in regions combining low renewable energy costs with favorable weather conditions, with S-DAC favored in Australia, Iceland, Mexico, and parts of Asia, and L -DAC in much of South America and Sub-Saharan Africa. The energy configuration strongly influences costs, with hybrid systems resulting in lower global levelized costs of DAC in 2050 ranging from 160 to 1720 €/tCO 2 , with a median of 271 €/tCO 2 . Our study further reveals that DAC can achieve a deployment level of 2 GtCO 2 /a at costs below 195 €/tCO 2 in cost-optimal regions. At the same time, substantial uncertainty remains in future cost estimates, with global median values ranging from 144 to 392 €/tCO 2 depending on underlying techno-economic assumptions. These results emphasize the importance of holistic, region-specific assessment to guide strategic and cost-effective global DAC deployment, aligned with the cost-efficiency principles in Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.