Are there technology gaps in the current technology?

Carbon Capture and Storage

The current carbon capture and storage technologies are cost prohibitive, nearly doubling the cost of energy produced by coal plants utilizing the technology. The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), states that most modern coal technology currently available for commercialization, which includes pulverized coal combustion, integrated gasification combined cycles (IGCC) and natural gas combined cycles (NGCC), has total plant costs that range from $554 per kilowatt for NGCC to $1,841 per kilowatt for IGCC, when not utilizing carbon capture and storage. When utilizing carbon capture and storage, the average total plant costs for NGCC jump to $1,172/kW and $2,496/kW for IGCC.

IGCC is not a new technology, having been around for 20 years, but its performance has shown improvement. Having not achieved significant commercial breakthrough in general power generation, IGCC had mostly been utilized by

IGCC have been around for the past two decades without achieving a commercial breakthrough in general power generation while being used in courtiers with high coal reserves and limited access to gas for the use in the chemical industry.[1] With tighter emissions standards and higher gas prices and carbon costs, the economics have improved and this together with technological progress on the combustion are expected.

In addition to the three large-scale demonstration projects, several pilot projects are in operation in six countries (none are in the U.S.). Of these, only one project captures CO2 at a coal-based plant. The other current projects demonstrate carbon storage or reuse at enhanced coal bed methane. Additionally, more than 20 capture and storage projects are proposed in the U.S. and five other countries between now and 2020. Pilot projects as listed at www.nma.org/pdf/fact_sheets/ccs.pdf.

Advanced Gasifier System: The capital cost and reliability, availability and maintainability of gasification processes are two key drivers in determining the commercial deployment of gasification technology.

Time Frame:

• Lower cost, increased efficiency, higher availability (2010, 2020).
• Advanced, low-cost air separation 2010).
• Dry solids feed/fuel flexible (2010).

Technology Gaps:

• More efficient, lower cost gasifier designs (transport & others), improved refractory materials, air separation, more efficient & reliable feed systems. Gas Cleaning : Gas cleaning requirements are driven by environmental and process considerations.

The Roadmap identifies the following technology needs/gaps:[2]

Research by Kevine Lidoro