How much CO2 can we store?

When we start talking about carbon capture technologies, one question I’m often asked is:

Where will we put the CO2? And how much of it can we store?

In its 2007 Carbon Sequestration Atlas, the National Energy Technology Laboratory reported that North America has enough storage capacity at our current rate of production for more than 900 years worth of carbon dioxide.

This storage capacity is located deep underground across the continent in varying types of geological formations – including unmineable coal seams and oil and gas reservoirs.

To break it down, the U.S. and Canada are the source of 3.8 billion tons of CO2 each year, but we have storage space for 3.5 trillion tons. Divide that out and we have, in effect, a 921-year reservoir of carbon dioxide storage.

Scientists, geologists and researchers are continually working to make carbon sequestration safer and more secure. During this year’s Research Experience in Carbon Sequestration (RECS), we got the chance to see carbon storage in action and meet the experts behind the technology.

Furthermore, the science and technology community is looking at other mechanisms for CO2 storage, including feeding it to algae, which is being studied for use as a substitute for the gas we feed our cars.

Our vast CO2 storage capabilities will not only help facilitate the commercial growth of carbon sequestration projects in the U.S.—but can help us use our most abundant, low-cost energy source for centuries to come.