Global warming and the future of coal carbon capture and storage

Miscellaneous · Tue May 15 04:00:00 EDT 2007

OSTI ID:20961365

Berlin, Ken; Sussman, Robert M ^[1]

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1. Skadden Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom (United States)

The paper considers how best to change the economic calculus of power plant developers so they internalize CCS costs when selecting new generation technologies. Five policy tools are analyzed: establishing a greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program; imposing carbon taxes; defining CCS systems as a so-called Best Available Control Technology for new power plants under the USA Clean Air Act's New Source Review program; developing a 'low carbon portfolio' standard that requires utilities to provide an increasing proportion of power from low-carbon generation sources over time; and requiring all new coal power plants to meet an 'emission performance' standard that limits CO{sub 2} emissions to levels achievable with CCS systems. Each of these tools has advantages and drawbacks but an emission performance standard for new power plants is likely to be most effective in spurring broad-scale adoption of CCS systems. Chapter headings are: global warming and the future of coal; new coal-fired power plants threaten all other efforts to combat global warming; a potential path to zero emissions through carbon capture and storage; CO{sub 2} capture at coal plants: the promise of IGCC and other technologies; barriers to commercialization of IGCC technology; crossing the chasm: a new policy framework to push ccs implementation forward; encouraging CCS systems with carbon caps and trading programs; using the existing Clean Air Act to require CCS systems for new coal plants; retail low carbon portfolio standard; carbon tax; emission performance standards for new coal power plants; and conclusions. 16 figs.

• Research Organization: Center for American Progress, Washington, DC (United States)
• OSTI ID: 20961365
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CAPTURE
CARBON DIOXIDE
CLEAN AIR ACTS
COAL
COAL GASIFICATION
COMBINED-CYCLE POWER PLANTS
COMMERCIALIZATION
EFFICIENCY
EMISSION
EMISSIONS TAX
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
FINANCIAL INCENTIVES
FOSSIL-FUEL POWER PLANTS
GREENHOUSE EFFECT
IMPLEMENTATION
MITIGATION
PERFORMANCE
POLLUTION REGULATIONS
POWER GENERATION
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
UNDERGROUND STORAGE
USA