CO2 capture and storage (CCS) is seen as potential tool for greenhouse gas mitigation. But due to concerns like the emissions due to increased energy consumption, cost and safety, India should critically examine all the associated issues before joining the bandwagon.
The basics of CCS
The carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology involves extracting carbon dioxide from power generation and industrial projects, compressing it and injecting it into depleted oil and gas fields or saline aquifers. Geological formations are currently considered the most promising sequestration sites, and these are estimated to have a storage capacity of at least 2000 Gt CO2 (currently, 30 Gt per year of CO2 is emitted due to human activities). IPCC estimates that the economic potential of CCS could be between 10% and 55% of the total carbon mitigation effort until year 2100.
It potentially allows the continued use of gas and coal, whilst still meeting ambitious CO2 reduction targets. This route may be especially important for the rapidly growing Chinese and Indian power systems, both predominantly coal-based for the foreseeable future. Even with the accelerated development of renewable energy and nuclear power, much of the world looks likely to remain dependent upon fossil fuels well into this century.
Benefits of CCS Technology
CCS applied to a modern conventional power plant could reduce CO2 emissions to the atmosphere by approximately 80-90% compared to a plant without CCS. But capturing and compressing CO2 requires much energy and would increase the fuel needs of a coal-fired plant with CCS by about 25%. These and other system costs are estimated to increase the cost of energy from a new power plant with CCS by 21-91%. Retrofitting the technology to pre-existing plants or plants far from a storage location will be more expensive.
CO2 storage can also be used in conjunction with enhanced oil recovery, a technique for improving oil extraction, achieved by gas injection. The process currently enables oil companies to make money out of storing CO2. The cost of CCS depends on the cost of capture and storage which vary according to the method used. Geological storage in saline formations or depleted oil or gas fields typically cost USD 0.50–8.00 per tonne of CO2 injected, plus an additional USD 0.10–0.30 for monitoring costs. However, when storage is combined with enhanced oil recovery to extract extra oil from an oil field, the storage could yield net benefits of USD 10–16 per tonne of CO2 injected (based on 2003 oil prices). This would likely negate some of the effects of the carbon capture when the oil was burnt as fuel.
In the longer term, by capturing the CO2 from the production of hydrogen from fossil fuels, carbon storage could help in the development of a hydrogen-based economy.
Limitations of CCS technology
- Energy intensive. The extra processes involved in CCS incurs an additional energy penalty. The technology is expected to use between 10 and 40% of the energy produced by a power station. Wide scale adoption of CCS is may erase efficiency gains of the last 50 years, and increase resource consumption by one third.
- Storage. Storing carbon underground is risky. It is claimed that safe and permanent storage of CO2 cannot be guaranteed and that even very low leakage rates could undermine any climate mitigation efforts.
- Cost. CCS is expensive. CCS could lead to a doubling of plant cost, and an electricity price increase. Though CCS may be economically attractive in comparison to other forms low carbon electricity generation, it is claimed by opponents that money spent on CCS will divert investments away from sustainable solutions to climate change.
Current Status of CCS in India
Although India has committed itself to reduce its carbon emissions by 20-25% by 2020, as a concept, CCS has found few takers in India, both within the government and the power sector. The government’s position on CCS, decided at an inter-ministerial meet in March 2009, supported research and development that would help reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The Australian proposal, announced by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in September 2008, was an effort to set up a Global Carbon Capture and Storage Initiative. The initiative, launched in May 2009, proposed to accelerate at least 20 fully integrated industrial demonstration projects around the world by 2020. The Australian proposal plans to bring together researchers, industry consortia and government to invest in and develop commercial CCS projects. For this the government will have to enter into a MoU before November 2010.
Role of Developed countries
- There are currently no drivers whatsoever towards CCS in India. This might change if CCS were to be included and eligible for permits under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol, as India is one of the biggest recipients of CDM projects.
- Developed countries need to take the lead on demonstrating CCS at commercial scale before any commercial-scale CCS projects can be considered in India. An appropriate international framework for CCS development and deployment is required. It will need to carefully consider local conditions so that appropriate measures for knowledge sharing and technology transfer can be identified.
- Developed country governments should contribute to the financing of initial projects and wider deployment of CCS in India.
- India is currently building a fleet of Ultra Mega Power Plants (UMPPs) that will use significant volumes of coal to make electricity for several decades. They will not use CCS when they start-up in the next few years. Having the option to fit CCS to these plants later in their lives could, however, make a significant contribution within an international context for reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the future. So the countries like India could be given appropriate support to ensure that these plants are built 'carbon capture ready'. This should ensure that CCS technology could be installed in the future.
- Like renewable and nuclear power, CCS is going to need support in some form from governments worldwide. That support may fall short of being in the form of subsidy, but will have to include regulatory and financial frameworks. It seems certain that markets alone will simply not be willing or able to risk investment on largely unproven new technology and new thinking. The danger is that market conservatism will default to easier but less carbon positive options - like CCGT gas - without CCS, or on a promise of it at a distant later date through capture ready technology.
Conclusion
India’s priorities as a developing country are access to economic and efficient technologies for power generation using the domestic energy resources and capacity enhancement. Though CCS appears to be a promising technology, but there are a number of uncertainties involved with it. With a number of already visible failures, India should critically look into not just the feasibility but all the associated pros and cons of the technology before joining the bandwagon.
References:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601130&sid=aEMIishWO_VA
http://www.climatechangecorp.com/content.asp?ContentID=4791
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/India-may-participate-in-carbon-capture-and-storage-initiative-Down-Under/articleshow/5397618.cms
http://kn.theiet.org/magazine/issues/0912/carbon-capture-and-storage-0912.cfm
http://www.carboncapturejournal.com/displaynews.php?NewsID=457
http://www.indianofficer.com/forums/science-technology-wiki/5701-carbon-capture-storage-ccs.html
http://www.geos.ed.ac.uk/sccs/India__CCS_Report-Oct2009.pdf
http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/content/co2-capture-and-storage-ccs-relevance-india
Image(s) Courtesy
Chad Johnson
Dead Air
Kaishinlab
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