Is Carbon Capture and Storage Really Needed?
- ORNL
- Georgia Institute of Technology
Two of the greatest contemporary global challenges are anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and energy sustainability. A popular proposed solution to the former problem is carbon capture and storage (CCS). Unfortunately, CCS has little benefit for energy sustainability and introduces significant long-term costs and risks. Thus, we propose the adoption of 'virtual CCS' by directing the resources that would have been spent on CCS to alternative energy technologies. (The term 'virtual' is used here because the concept described in this work satisfies the Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of virtual: 'being such in essence or effect though not formally recognized or admitted.') In this example, we consider wind and nuclear power and use the funds that would have been required by CCS to invest in installation and operation of these technologies. Many other options exist in addition to wind and nuclear power including solar, biomass, geothermal, and others. These additional energy technologies can be considered in future studies. While CCS involves spending resources to concentrate CO{sub 2} in sinks, such as underground reservoirs, low-carbon alternative energy produces power, which will displace fossil fuel use while simultaneously generating revenues. Thus, these alternative energy technologies achieve the same objective as that of CCS, namely, the avoidance of atmospheric CO{sub 2} emissions.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE; Work for Others (WFO)
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC05-00OR22725
- OSTI ID:
- 982108
- Journal Information:
- Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 44, Issue 11; ISSN 0013-936X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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