A new short-cut method (NoVa) for assessing solvents for gas cleaning by reactive absorption is presented. It considers the absorption / desorption cycle using the assumption of infinite number of stages in both columns. For a given feed and removal rate, the method yields an estimate for the specific regeneration energy q as a function of the solvent circulation rate L/G. The sole solvent-dependent input consists of two correlations describing the gas solubility at absorber and desorber conditions and estimates of caloric properties. Furthermore, a simple equation (SolSOFT) for correlating the gas solubility as a function of the gas loading of the solvent is presented. A theoretical analysis of the process reveals general properties of the dependency of q on L/G. The NoVa method is described and tested using amine-based solvents for post combustion carbon capture as examples. (C) 2019 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.