A flagship Bhutan–Japan partnership to build the world’s first national-scale circular carbon-tech ecosystem: Direct Air Capture → CO₂-to-Graphite → High‑Performance Computing with Heat Recovery → Aquaponics & Biogas. Designed for energy security, food security, green industry, and Gross National Happiness.
Bhutan is the world’s first carbon‑negative nation with abundant clean hydropower and a development model rooted in Gross National Happiness. The Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC) will host a scalable UCE hub aligning with the National Energy Policy 2025 (NEP 2025) to 10× renewable capacity to 25 GW by 2040 and diversify beyond hydro.
Pull CO₂ from air using clean power and ~100 °C heat for sorbent regeneration.
Molten‑salt electrolysis converts captured CO₂ to battery‑grade graphite (and O₂).
Immersion‑cooled miners/servers recover nearly all heat at 60–70 °C for food and buildings.
Heat + CO₂ (800–1000 ppm) turbocharge yields; wastes become biogas and fertilizer.
Clean power drives DAC and computing. CO₂ from DAC feeds the molten‑carbonate electrolyzer to make solid carbon (graphite). Computing heat is recovered to warm fish tanks and greenhouses. Concentrated CO₂ is metered into greenhouses to boost photosynthesis. Biological wastes go to a digester → biogas → heat/power, with digestate returned as fertilizer — closing the loop.
*Conceptual
Japan contributes advanced tech, capital (ODA/JBIC/JICA), and market demand (battery‑grade graphite); Bhutan contributes 24/7 green power, GNH‑driven governance, and the GMC SAR as an agile sandbox. Cooperative Article‑6 pathways allow shared crediting of verified CO₂ removals.
Metric | Value | |
---|---|---|
Renewables target (by 2040) | ≈ 25,000 MW (10× today) | |
Youth unemployment (2023) | ≈ 29% | |
Winter peak vs firm hydro | ≈ 125% (peak exceeds firm supply) | |
Pilot data center | ~5–10 MW, dispatchable | |
Immersion heat reclaim | Hot water ~60–70 °C, near‑total recovery | |
DAC current cost | ~$500–800 per tCO₂ | |
Greenhouse enrichment | ≈ 800–1000 ppm CO₂ | |
CO₂ → C conversion example | 5,000 tCO₂ → ≈ 1,360 t carbon / year |
Overall Contribution to UCE (Economic + Energy + Social Impact)
Projected using GPT-5 taking Key metrics into major consideration
Permanent removals at pilot scale, rising to megatons with scale; double‑use energy (compute → heat) and low‑runoff aquaponics reduce footprints; supports Bhutan's 60% forest cover mandate by intensifying production.
Diversifies into graphite exports, digital services, and winter food; stacks revenues (Bitcoin/data, carbon credits, produce) to de‑risk returns; attracts mindful FDI and tech transfer.
Green jobs for youth, affordable fresh fish and vegetables, community heat reuse, education & visitor center — a living lab for GNH.
Yes — in UCE it runs on Bhutan’s renewables and acts like a “heat engine” for food, while also operating as a flexible load that can throttle during grid stress.
It turns climate liability into an export product (battery anodes). Electrolysis in molten carbonates has produced high‑purity graphite at far lower temperatures than conventional routes.
Yes. Miner heat keeps greenhouses productive through winter; CO₂ enrichment boosts yields; aquaponics recycles water and nutrients — reducing imports and price volatility.
A transparent PPP in the GMC SAR with clear profit‑sharing, tech transfer, and community benefits; joint steering with Japan; Article‑6 cooperation for removals.