‘We cannot leave America's energy future to others’ Posted by Joe Lucas on 11/06/2009 09:00:00 AM

The United States needs to take immediate steps to secure our energy future, wrote Washington University Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton in a St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial last week.

By increasing our energy independence through the use of our abundant domestic fuels and investing in technologies to make these fuels even cleaner, we can achieve that goal, he said.

Wrighton added that FutureGen, a proposed demonstration project for carbon capture and storage (CCS) in central Illinois, will allow us to do both.

“[It] is a key project that must move forward if we are to ensure that the technology will be viable on a large scale,” Wrighton wrote. “Capture and storage of CO2 will provide a sure option for the use of coal as a major energy resource with less environmental adversity.”

If successful, FutureGen will be one of the cleanest coal-generated power plants in the world.

And it’s on its way – in July, the U.S. Department of Energy certified that the project met environmental requirements and was safe to build. We applauded FutureGen project members for their hard work in ensuring that our nation's abundant coal supply will continue to provide affordable electricity while producing fewer emissions than ever before.

As Wrighton concluded, “The United States must be ready with the best technology in the world. We cannot leave America's energy future to others, because energy is so vital to our economic security.”

Jamestown Oxy-Coal Project would provide N.Y. an economic boost Posted by Joe Lucas on 11/04/2009 09:00:00 AM

Chemical company Praxair Inc. is banking on the federal government to help finance its Jamestown Oxy-Coal Project, a carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration site located near Buffalo, N.Y., reports Business First of Buffalo.

According to Jamestown Mayor Samuel Teresi, plant construction costs could exceed $500 million. Bond financing from the town’s Board of Public Utilities would cover $145 million of construction costs, but Praxair hopes the U.S. Department of Energy will cover the rest.

And it’s either government funding – or else. “Plan B is not an inviting notion,” Teresi said.

But the situation is not unique to the Jamestown Oxy-Coal Project – the construction of many other clean coal plants across the country hinges on federal dollars for completion.

Harvey Stenger, dean of the University of Buffalo’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, urged federal and state governments to invest in the project in a Buffalo News editorial in July.

It could be one of the most sizeable economic development initiatives in Upstate New York, potentially generating $900 million in statewide annual impact and 3,500 new jobs, he wrote.

Stenger went on to say that the only way we can realistically reduce carbon dioxide emissions is to spur investments in CCS projects – and that’s why it’s time for stakeholders to come together and make it happen.

We couldn’t agree more.

Mountaineer will advance CCS research, create jobs Posted by Joe Lucas on 11/03/2009 09:00:00 AM

Last week, American Electric Power and energy research center Battelle announced a project to capture as much as 110,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually at the Mountaineer plant near New Haven, W.Va., The Columbus Dispatch reported.

In August, The Dispatch editorialized that the initial $120 million investment would not only help advance carbon capture and sequestration technology in the realm of scientific research; it would also boost the economy of the Midwest by creating jobs in the region.

If successful, the plant would be expanded to capture up to 1.65 million tons a year. American Electric Power is seeking $334 million in federal stimulus funding to cover about half the cost of the larger plant, The Dispatch reported.

The editorial went on to say that AEP’s request is “appropriate” – especially because coal is likely to play a part in the foreseeable future.

This just goes to show that in order to push clean coal technologies forward, we need to continue building coal plants with the capacity to test and develop methods to cut carbon dioxide emissions on the commercial scale.

It’s great to hear such strong local support for new coal plants. We wish Mountaineer the best of luck in securing federal funding and moving ahead with the project.

Why climate legislation must provide support for CCT Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/30/2009 12:00:00 PM

We talk a lot on this blog about our belief that technology will be the ultimate answer to climate change, but I heard a fact today at the Clean Carbon Policy Summit in Austin that illustrates just how important technology is to worldwide reduction of carbon dioxide emissions: In the past several years, China has built enough coal-based generation to equal that of the entire US fleet – and in the next 20 years they will do it again.

What good will U.S. regulations do if they don’t provide adequate funding and support for clean coal technologies? Not much, if that stat holds true.

Luckily, it seems that a lot of very smart and important people also believe in the power of technology. In fact, the consensus among conference attendees and presenters was that we will need a suite of technologies, deployed across all energy platforms in order to meet both our growing demand for affordable, reliable power and carbon dioxide emissions limits – whatever those may be.

And though carbon capture and storage – especially CCS deployed over the existing power plant fleet – was widely discussed as the best bang for the buck in terms of the long-term cost of carbon containment, we need strong leadership and increased funding to reach that point.

AEP’s Paul Loeffelman, speaking on a panel about national carbon policy and the challenges facing the power generation industry, took that message one step further by extolling the need for policy support and the creation of public/private partnerships in order to see technologies fast tracked to full-scale commercial deployment without dramatically increasing electricity rates.

He also discussed the legislation pending in Washington – very timely considering the current Senate hearings on the Kerry-Boxer bill. A divisive subject for sure, especially given the anti-climate bill stance of the Texas executive branch, but many attendees supported some type of Federal bill, especially one that keeps costs down and provides increased funding for advanced clean coal technologies.

That’s good news to us at ACCCE, as we are working to ensure that any legislation is committed to developing clean coal technologies, contains a reasonable timeframe for emissions reductions and keeps costs affordable.

See more from the Clean Carbon Summit at www.cleancarbonsummit.com.

Wall Street Journal declares CCS a game-changing technology Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/20/2009 01:00:00 PM

Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is considered to be one of the “five technologies that could change everything,” The Wall Street Journal said in a cover story on Monday.

In other words, CCS could be part of an innovation wave that could help drastically reduce greenhouse gases and “radically change the world energy picture.”

It’s easy to understand why CCS would be considered a breakthrough technology. If commercially deployed, it could cut carbon dioxide emissions by 90 percent while limiting cost increases. The Journal acknowledges that the technology exists and has been demonstrated in small-scale pilots, but has yet to make the leap on a commercial level.

Of the other technologies the Journal lauded – such as space-based solar power and utility storage – two of them are involved with coal.

The advanced car batteries that would be used to boost the mileage of hybrid-electric cars would need to run on a grid powered by coal.

And next-generation biofuels, like genetically altered algae, can be used to eat carbon dioxide emissions captured from coal-generated power plants.

Scientists are continuing to work on these technologies. If perfected, it could radically change the way we use electricity – and most certainly pave the way toward a clean energy future.

What they’re saying about clean coal technology Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/14/2009 01:00:00 PM

With climate change legislation passing through the Senate, we’ve heard many opinions from public officials on issues concerning energy policy and clean coal technology:

E&E News article (9/11): “Five influential coal-state Senate Democrats” -- Sens. Robert Byrd of West Virginia, Max Baucus of Montana, Mark Warner of Virginia, and Arlen Specter and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania – introduced draft legislation that “they say would help with the widespread commercial deployment of carbon capture and sequestration technologies.”

Bob McDonnell, Republican candidate for Virginia governor, CNBC (10/6): “We're one of the largest coal-exporting states in the country. We've actually got the largest coal exporting port in the world in Hampton Roads, Virginia. I'm a strong supporter of the coal industry. There's a lot of innovation going on with carbon sequestration … coal gasification that in another five or 10 years might provide another use of coal. It's going to be very good for Virginia.”

Our team also had the opportunity last week to attend the Gasification Technologies Conference in Colorado Springs, Colo., where emerging technologies were on display. We noted that:

Neville Holt of the Electric Power Research Institute (10/5): “What we got to do is operate the whole thing -- coal to kilowatts and sequester the CO2 continuously at a million tons a year just as soon as we possibly can.”

Dave Freudenthal, Wyoming governor (10/5): “We should advocate, and advocate fairly broadly, for a fully diverse energy mix in this country going forward. That the current attitude of selecting technologies based on prejudice rather than on analysis is going to be, I think, the undoing of this country.”

Breaking News: IEA: need for 3,400 CCS plants by 2050 Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/12/2009 02:09:04 PM

The New York Times reports that the International Energy Agency is calling for fast action on carbon storage in developing countries. According to a report to be released by the IEA, there is a need for 100 large-scale, fully deployed CCS plants around the world in the next decade and 3,400 by 2050.

Thomas Kerr, a senior IEA analyst, said the modeling used for the report is "not based on technology or political will ... just based on CO2." The Times also reports “that the agency found CCS will be one of the lowest-cost options in the coming decades, delivering about one-fifth of global emission reductions by midcentury.”

Click here to read the entire article.

Pleasant Prairie Power Plant captures nearly 90 percent of CO2 emissions Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/12/2009 09:00:00 AM

The Business Journal of Milwaukee reported last week that We Energies’ carbon capture project has been successful in cutting almost 90 percent of carbon dioxide emissions from their coal-generated power plant in Pleasant Prairie, Wis.

The plant has actually been doing this for months. We know this because earlier this year, our team viewed its project during the America’s Power Factuality Tour and got to see carbon capture in action for ourselves.

We learned that the pilot facility takes about 1 percent of its flue gas for use in the demonstration project. Then, a chilled ammonia process is used to capture carbon dioxide emissions from the gas.

We congratulate We Energies and the Electric Power Research Institute for their dedicated work on carbon capture.

Not only does this initiative confirm the industry’s commitment to making fuel from coal increasingly clean, it proves that clean coal technology can drastically reduce carbon dioxide emissions, mitigating the effects of climate change.

This project is one step closer to making carbon capture feasible on a commercial scale – and right now, that’s a reassuring thought. USA Today reports that nine states are said to be falling short on their goals to increase the use of renewable energy.

This just goes to show how important it for us to keep working on coal – it’s a reliable base fuel that is abundant and affordable.

Stay on top of CCS with the Carbon Capture Journal Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/09/2009 01:00:00 PM

With the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen just around the corner and climate change legislation making its way through the Senate, carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) has certainly become a hot topic.

And while staying on top of CCS news and research can seem a bit daunting, we’ve discovered one publication covering CCS and government policy in a way that’s “clear, useful and won’t waste your time.” It’s called the Carbon Capture Journal.

In addition to tracking new test facilities, demonstration sites and funding, the U.K.-based Journal offers comprehensive coverage of U.S. and international climate-related legislation.

And because Carbon Capture Journal covers a broad array of topics, its readers are just as varied. Apart from people in the energy industry, policy analysts, lawyers and reporters from all over the world subscribe to the publication.

But you don’t have to be a subscriber to get access to the Journal’s articles and resources. Carbon Capture Journal’s Web site posts some of its news items free of charge and features categorized links to companies working on CCS and related government organizations.

Take a minute to explore the site, and if you like what you see, start a profile on its online networking site and share your ideas about CCS with its Web-based community.

What are your favorite clean coal technology publications? Leave a comment and let us know.

Cutting edge CCT research at the Notre Dame Energy Center Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/08/2009 09:01:30 AM

Earlier this year, we spoke with University of Notre Dame Professor Edward Maginn at the National Energy Technology Laboratory’s (NETL) annual conference on carbon capture technology. 

Maginn, a professor of chemical and bimolecular engineering, gave us insight about his group’s $3 million U.S. Department of Energy-funded clean coal project at Notre Dame.

Its cutting-edge research is focused on using ionic liquids to separate carbon dioxide (CO2) from flue gas, a breakthrough absorption technology for post-combustion carbon capture.

Intrigued, we sought out more about Notre Dame’s involvement in clean coal technology research. It has a team of scientists and engineers working on clean coal utilization, CO2 separation, and storage sequestration and use at the Notre Dame Energy Center.

According to the center’s Web site, “It is almost inevitable that coal will become the energy and raw material of choice in the coming decades” and “responsible continued use of fossil fuels, whether it be oil, natural gas or coal, will require the capture and storage of CO2.”

The center’s main goal is to develop more energy-efficient clean coal technologies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, mitigating the effects of climate change.

And that’s exactly what Maginn and his team at Notre Dame are doing. Their research is an essential part of pushing the technology forward. Show your support and appreciation for their work by becoming a fan of the University of Notre Dame on Facebook.

Got a clean coal technology university program you think we should write about? Tell us about it in the comments.

New clean coal plant planned for Michigan Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/07/2009 01:00:00 PM

Yesterday, the Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative received a $2.7 million federal grant for their carbon capture and storage project at a coal-generated plant near Rogers City, Mich.

Although Wolverine Power’s 600-megawatt power plant has not yet been built, its CCS demonstration site is planned to capture 300,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) a year. The co-op’s dedication to developing the technology is illustrative of their commitment to building environmentally-conscious plants with the capability to reduce CO2 emissions.

“This gives a lot of credibility to what Wolverine has been saying,” said Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.). “They want to be good stewards of our environment, use the latest technology.”

This is another great example of how building new coal-based plants can benefit the environment while helping us meet growing energy demand. I often wonder why some groups oppose new plants, especially when they’re built for efficiency and accommodations for new clean coal technologies—making them significantly cleaner than their aging counterparts.

These groups are actually standing in the way of progress, obstructing the advancement of the very technologies that will be necessary to meet the environmental standards that they support.

As you can see, Wolverine Power and others in the electric power industry understand that CO2 will become regulated in this country and are planning for the future by making technology investments today. This will allow coal—our most abundant, affordable fuel—to remain a part of America’s energy future.

Peabody chairman says it’s “a new age for new coal” Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/06/2009 01:00:00 PM

Peabody Energy Chairman Gregory Boyce recently went on air with CNBC’s Squawk Box to talk about the Asia-Pacific’s booming coal markets and the tremendous progress being made to advance clean coal technologies.

Developing nations such as China and India are using their huge indigenous reserves of coal to keep up with their energy demand and as a result, coal-generated power plants are being built around the world at a record pace.

“We think there is going to be a new age for new coal,” said Boyce. “We need all types of fuel in the energy mix.”

Boyce also had a chance to talk about technologies like carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) and enhanced oil recovery in detail, answering the anchors’ specific questions about the processes.

He cited StatOil, a natural gas company, as an example. Engineers at their Norway plant have been injecting carbon dioxide into the North Sea for more than a decade to help increase the amount of crude oil that can be extracted from a field.

Globally, Boyce notes that CCS projects are advancing and assured that the technology is safe. Carbon dioxide is injected to the ground as a liquid, he said, and because of the pressure from the geologic formations, it stays that way. “Carbon storage is a natural part of the carbon dioxide cycle,” he said.

We’re glad that the energy industry has voices like Boyce to help educate folks about clean coal technologies and remind the world there is a serious need for it.

Watch Boyce’s video clip and let us know what you think.

President Obama Declares October National Energy Awareness Month Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/05/2009 01:12:40 PM

We all know how passionate President Obama is about strengthening our energy security, creating green jobs and developing clean coal technology – so it’s no surprise that he recently declared October National Energy Awareness Month.

This special month will highlight our nation’s energy issues by promoting the importance of a clean energy economy and recognizing the companies and organizations that are committed to innovation in energy.

These two initiatives are important factors in strengthening our global competitiveness and securing our energy independence—two issues that should be brought into focus as climate change legislation moves through the Senate.

Honoring the folks who work hard to help us reach these goals is important. We’re particularly proud of those in our industry to make coal-generated electricity even cleaner, with cutting-edge technologies like carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) and integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC).

With technical and financial contributions to these emissions-reducing technologies, I’m confident we can become the world’s leading exporter in clean coal technology and exemplify how to jumpstart a depressed economy with technology.

How will you give thanks and show your support to members of the energy industry this month? Post a comment and let us know. And don’t forget to visit AmericasPower.org to check your knowledge of the country’s energy and environmental issues.

“The CO2 Story” breaks down the CCS process Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/05/2009 09:00:00 AM

As much as we love our YouTube videos on our Balanced Energy channel, we have to acknowledge the other great stuff out there as well.

Basin Electric Power’s mini-documentary “The CO2 Story” is particularly watch-worthy. It follows the company’s clean coal technology project at the Great Plains Synfuels Plant in North Dakota, which captures carbon dioxide (CO2) from the plant and pumps it to Canada where it’s used for enhanced oil recovery.

The video does an excellent job of showing the science behind the technology – the project’s engineers and employees from the plant explain the process of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) in a way that’s easy to understand.

With the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen around the corner and climate legislation making its way through the Senate, it’s the right time to study up on advanced clean coal technologies and the projects going on across the country. This video is a great place to start.

Tell us what you think about “The CO2 Story” in the comments below—and let us know what documentaries, videos or webisodes you think we should check out.

And be sure to visit our Balanced Energy YouTube channel. We have nearly 100 videos on our channel, including everything from interviews with carbon capture experts to the stories of folks who rely on low-cost energy from coal.

Note: Basin Electric Power Cooperative is a member of ACCCE.

Getting CCS “right” at Columbia University Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/02/2009 09:00:00 AM

After interviewing students and professors this year’s Research Experience in Carbon Sequestration (RECS), we realized that some of the most passionate supporters of clean coal technology (CCT) hailed from Columbia University’s Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering (EEE) in the Henry Crumb School of Mines.

“I’m interested in helping to solve problems on a large scale, and I think that CCS would enable us to do that,” EEE student Miriam told us in an interview.

Tim, another EEE student who is working on a PhD on the storage of sulfur and sulfates, said “we have to keep all our options open, and carbon sequestration is one of them.”

Their enthusiasm encouraged us to learn more about their program. It turns out that CCT is one of the main pillars of EEE’s research and specifically focuses on how clean coal technology can be incorporated into the energy and industrial infrastructure for the 21st century.

According to EEE’s Web site, the program plans to achieve this by “treating the inefficiencies and by-products” of fossil fuels through technologies such as carbon sequestration, zero-emission coal, catalysis and recycling.

Department chair Dr. Klaus Lackner, who also spoke with us at RECS , is also working on cutting-edge clean coal projects. Dr. Lackner and his colleagues at Columbia have partnered with Global Research Technologies to develop a new method of capturing carbon from the air in a process called “air extraction.” It will be the company’s first step toward a commercially viable clean coal technology.

Dr. Lackner and the team of experts at Columbia University are another example of the people who are dedicated to pushing essential clean coal technologies forward. Show your support and appreciation for their work by becoming a fan of Columbia University’s Earth Institute on Facebook.

Government funding for CCS: Where’s the money going? Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/29/2009 09:01:04 AM

Combating climate change is one of the biggest issues of our time, and we know it’s going to take myriad resources and technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Fortunately, the Obama administration and Congress have their sights set on deploying advanced clean coal technologies like carbon capture and storage(CCS)—seen by experts as critical to meeting global emissions reductions goals—and are anteing up accordingly.

Here’s what’s been funded as of late:

• Just last month, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded nearly $27 million to CCS university programs (check out our university spotlights to learn more) to evaluate the risks of storing carbon dioxide in the ground.

• The DOE also set aside $8.4 million for a project that would go into training plant developers, engineers, researchers and scientists on the technology behind CCS in seven different regions across the country.

• A few weeks ago, the DOE gave an Arizona company $70.5 million from the stimulus package to research alternative ways to use carbon dioxide, including feeding it to algae.

As the DOE has found, investing in clean coal technologies has paid off in the past and we know it will again. With the government’s continued support, we can quickly and safely deploy advanced technologies like CCS and drive down the initial cost of deployment—good news for the environment and rate payers.

Keep an eye out for future DOE grants on our news page, and give us your take by posting a comment, or chiming in on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.

An addendum to Thomas Friedman's 'New Sputnik' Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/28/2009 05:13:58 PM

Thomas Friedman’s Sept. 26 editorial in the New York Times is essentially correct: There are huge market opportunities associated with bringing carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies to the marketplace. I also agree with him that the U.S. should and still can be at the forefront in seizing those opportunities.

How do we accomplish this goal?

First, it requires a commitment of private industry and government to bring these technologies to the market. Until recently, the federal government’s investment has been lacking. Earlier this year the economic stimulus package allocated funds and took a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done. That is why our organization strongly supported provisions in the Waxman-Markey bill that included significant funding for CCS. And now that the Senate is looking at developing its own bill, including significant funding for CCS is critical.

Also, to advance technology, you’ve got to build projects. Here in the U.S., we have special interest groups that oppose coal at every turn. In many cases, these groups’ efforts to halt new advanced coal plants hinder progress on developing the technologies that meet the environmental standards they so strongly support. There lots of characters in the Chinese alphabet and no combination of them creates a word like NIMBY (Not In My Backyard). If we’re serious about leading the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, then the U.S. needs to be leading the way in building projects that increase efficiency and test new technologies to capture and store carbon dioxide (CO2), as opposed to hoping that clogging up the system will result in coal use going away. That is not an effective climate strategy.

We can bring new technologies to the marketplace, drive down the cost of using those technologies to capture and store CO2, and ensure that American consumers have the benefit of reduced emissions, affordable, reliable energy, and sustained economic growth. That is the type of climate policy we support, and one that I feel certain most Americans believe can happen.

China and U.S. working together to address CCS costs Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/28/2009 03:34:38 PM

Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that China could face as much as $400 billion in costs over a 30-year period to install systems to capture carbon dioxide from power plants and sequester it underground.

The publication described these costs as “staggering” – and they’re right. Deploying carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology on a commercial scale is expensive. And we’ve long said—and demonstrated—that private-public partnerships are one of the best ways to drive down the cost to deploy new technologies.

Of course, other partnerships are beneficial as well. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a global issue that warrants a global solution. In fact, during his summer trip to China, U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu said, “I know we can accomplish more by working together than by working alone.”

By teaming up on technologies like CCS, we could develop large-scale, emissions-reducing solutions more quickly—helping us meet global emissions reduction goals that much faster.

Bloomberg reports that the U.S. and China have already begun negotiations on a two-way agreement to reduce emissions in preparation for the upcoming U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

It’s reassuring to know that we’ll be attending the summit fully armed with realistic solutions to one of the most important issues of our time.

A veritable space race for carbon capture and storage Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/28/2009 09:00:00 AM

With the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen just around the corner, the clock is ticking for companies that want to deploy the world’s first commercial scale carbon and capture sequestration (CCS) plant.

In fact, CCS has almost become a modern-day space race, with companies in the U.S., China, Germany and other countries vying to make history with the latest advancement in clean coal technology.

And who’s to blame them? The construction of a commercial CCS plant would bring any country great prestige – and it would establish the nation as a leader in technology, innovation and climate change mitigation.

Currently, there are three large-scale CCS projects worth noting:

1. The U.S.’ FutureGen: This past summer, the U.S. Department of Energy gave this Illinois clean coal plant the green light to start construction and allotted $1 billion in funding to the project from the stimulus package. But the FutureGen Alliance still needs 11 more members by 2010 before they can proceed with construction.

2. China’s GreenGen: Houston-based energy company Future Fuels has teamed up with a Chinese power company to construct GreenGen, a 250-megawatt coal-based electricity plant using CCS technology. The plant is currently under construction and will go online in 2011.

3. Germany’s Schwarze Pumpe plant: European utility Vattenfall is behind this project in Germany. While still at the demonstration phase, the company says it’s “an important milestone to reach the goal of commercial concepts for carbon capture and storage at coal fired power plants by 2015-2020.”

As you can see, the U.S. has a little catching up to do, but with President Obama’s support of clean coal technology and our past success with clean coal technologies, we’re confident that we’ll be one to rise to the top.

In case you missed it Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/25/2009 09:00:00 AM

When you hear that renewable energy will triple in the next few years, how many people know just how much that really means as far as making a difference in our total electricity production?

Apparently Arch Coal CEO Steve Leer does. When asked in an interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box about increasing the use of renewable energy Leer said “coal is the fastest growing fuel we've had for fossil fuels in the United States at 50 percent, it's enormous. And the scalability of renewables today are [sic] about two percent. So, they're going to double, triple, quintuple. If they quintuple, we have 10 percent of our electricity being derived from renewables…people forget to do the math.”

Leer went on to say that to say that we’ll need a balanced energy approach, noting that while we can “whittle away” at our use of fossil fuels, we will “still be heavily reliant on coal, natural gas and oil” for the next decade.

When asked about the use of CCS technology, Leer said that “stabilizing CO2 in the atmosphere, the only way to achieve it on a global scale is to develop carbon capture sequestration. Those technologies have to be developed. Otherwise we're just talking politics.”

Note: Arch Coal is a member of ACCCE.

Environment is a top concern at Princeton University Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/24/2009 01:03:42 PM

We were delighted that Dr. Michael Celia, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Princeton University, had the time to sit down with us and tell us about his team’s research on the geological storage of carbon dioxide during this year’s Research Experience for Carbon Sequestration.

Dr. Celia is part of the core group of researchers at the Carbon Mitigation Initiative (CMI), Princeton’s carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) program. The center conducts laboratory and field experiments on CCS to ensure that the technology is safe and efficient.

Dr. Celia’s research mainly focuses on “injectivity and leakage” in CO2 storage in deep saline aquifers. That is, it’s important to make sure geology can handle the rate at which the CO2 is injected—as well as to ensure that the CO2 does not leak out.

It is clear that the CMI’s main concern is finding a solution to mitigating climate change.

“If we want to continue with our lifestyle, which I think people do, we are going to continue to be using fossil fuels and it’s really imperative that we find ways to do it that are not harmful to the environment,” says Dr. Celia.

And that certainly means developing CCS at the commercial scale.

Watch our interview with Dr. Celia and explore the CMI’s research projects on carbon capture, storage, science and integration.

Got a clean coal technology university program you think we should write about? Tell us about it in the comments.

Pittsburgh International Coal Conference: Getting serious about CCS Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/24/2009 08:59:05 AM

As you may have read from our previous blog posts, this week the city of Pittsburgh hosted the 26th Annual International Coal Conference, which focused on issues and technologies surrounding the continued use of coal.

As the city filled up with the world’s foremost scientists, geologists, engineers and business leaders, our climate and energy challenges became increasingly realistic.

According to Granger Morgan, a Carnegie Mellon University engineering professor who spoke at the event, we must get more serious about the use of clean coal technologies, especially if the United States wants to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 80 percent by 2050. “Coal with carbon capture and sequestration will be an essential part of this solution,” Morgan said.

The regional spotlight may have inspired Pennsylvania State University alumnus Ted O’Brien to “get more serious” about at our climate and energy issues. In a recent letter to the Daily Collegian, O’Brien writes that Americans “would be better off coming to the realization that coal is a necessary piece of our generation mix” and should “encourage those in power to work toward cleaning its emissions” via technologies like CCS.

Reaching our goal of cutting CO2 emissions will take a multi-pronged approach, but we know that CCS technologies are part of the solution. What questions do you have about this technology and what other ideas do you have for a balanced energy approach?

Teamwork on CCS pays off Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/23/2009 01:00:00 PM

Climate change is a global issue that warrants a global solution. As world leaders come to realize this, there is growing consensus that major coal-producing countries must work together to make one of the solutions – clean coal technology – a reality.

According to U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, China and the U.S. could develop carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) more quickly together than if they acted alone.

To some extent, partnerships between these two countries are already happening. Just this past summer, Secretary Chu announced the U.S.-China Joint Clean Energy Research Center, an effort that focuses lowering emissions from buildings, vehicles and coal-generated electricity in our two countries.

As you may already know, China is working hard on these issues, including the commercial deployment of CCS.

Earlier this year, the World Resources Institute (WRI) went on a Factuality Tour of their own and got an inside look at CCS projects in China. Part of their trip was devoted to helping the Chinese government develop guidelines for responsible CCS deployment.

After visiting two of China’s major clean coal technology projects, Shenhua and GreenGen, WRI came up with some interesting findings: the country’s energy projects get quick approval, and despite the costs associated with CCS, China is much further along than outsiders expected.

As you can see, the U.S. isn’t the only country making progress on a cleaner energy future. And working together with countries like China could mean that we push commercial-scale CCS forward, faster—making it more likely that we hit global emissions abatement goals.

Now that’s what I call teamwork.

What they’re saying at the International Coal Conference in Pittsburgh Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/23/2009 09:00:00 AM

Pittsburgh is hosting the 26th Annual International Coal Conference, an event that focuses on environmental issues and technologies surrounding the continued use of coal, along with the development of future coal-based plants to achieve near zero emissions. Here’s a sampling of what scientists, academics and energy industry leaders have been saying at the conference:

Jared L. Cohon, Carnegie Mellon University president, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (9/22): “Pittsburgh should make research and development of clean coal technologies the highest priority because despite its emissions problems the world will continue to rely on it while alternative energy sources are developed.”

M. Granger Morgan, head of the Department of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (9-22): “To stop climate change, by mid-century the world must reduce its emissions roughly 80 percent. Doing that's going to take everything we've got: more efficient use of energy, coal plants that capture their carbon dioxide and safely put it a mile underground, more wind and nuclear plants, and plug-electric hybrid vehicles that get their power from the U.S., not the Middle East.”

M. Granger Morgan, head of the Department of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (9-22): "There are no ‘silver bullets’ — no single technology or strategy that will solve the problem of climate change. Meeting that challenge will take everything we've got — and in the process create many new jobs.”

John Hanger, DEP secretary and former president and chief executive officer of Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (9-22): "To continue this progress, we must use both law and markets. Laws like building codes and vehicle mileage standards must boost energy efficiency as well as low-carbon fuels and electricity; competitive markets must operate to produce efficiently cleaner appliances, electricity, vehicles; and public-private partnerships must develop new and better technologies like carbon capture and storage for coal plants."

Albert Whitehouse, director of the Department of Interior's International Technical Assistance Program, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (9/22): "No one can make the bridge from the present to the future without coal."

Questioning the future of coal and CCS Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/22/2009 04:01:11 PM

Last week, our team had the opportunity to speak with West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin at ACI’s Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) Summit in Washington, D.C.

Gov. Manchin shared his enthusiasm for deploying clean coal technologies like CCS in his state; he knows all too well that coal provides much-need jobs and affordable energy—nearly 98 percent of the state’s electricity is generated from coal. His experience at the local level has undoubtedly given the governor a national and global perspective on energy.

“Coal will continue to be a major energy source for the next 30 years or more as the nation and world transition to the energy of the future, and leaders must find a balance between the economy and environment,” he said, at a recent U.S. Chamber of Commerce event.

The governor’s state is leading the way, with plans to retrofit outdated plants with new, emissions-reducing technologies, as well as the construction of a commercial scale CCS plant in the town of New Haven.

With advancements in CCS happening here at home and across the globe, it’s baffling to read stories questioning the existence of CCS—one writer recently when so far as to say that “CCS is dead.”

If that’s true, then according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the International Energy Agency (IEA), the notion of reducing the global concentration of greenhouse gases is dead as well. Both of these groups—along with many of the world’s top scientists—agree that CCS is a crucial component to cost-effectively achieving target global emissions reductions.

Just take a look at our recent videos on the Balanced Energy YouTube channel to see students, professors, scientists and elected officials working hard to solve our energy and climate challenges—using the abundant and affordable resources we have available to us.

President Obama speaks to UN about climate change Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/22/2009 02:55:56 PM

Earlier today, President Obama addressed the United Nations (UN) on the topic of climate change.

We’ve long applauded President Obama for his attention to this complex issue and his realistic solutions, which include support for advanced clean coal technologies like carbon capture and storage (CSS). In fact, the president was voicing his support for these technologies long before he was officially in office:

On the campaign trail, Mr. Obama also acknowledged that “a huge percentage of our electricity is generated by coal,” and that we need “to put clean coal technology on the fast track and that means money. It means investment in research. That’s something we should have already been doing.”

As president, Mr. Obama has made good on his commitment to advanced clean coal technologies through allocation of funding in the federal stimulus bill, as well as Department of Energy (DOE) grants for various clean coal projects across the country.

He has also demonstrated his commitment on the international level, noting in a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd that “figuring out how to sequester and capture carbon that’s emitted from coal as just one element of a broader range of energy initiatives, that’s an example of something that can create jobs; also deal with a potential environmental crisis—that’s the kind of economic growth that I think we’re going to be looking for.”

It’s clear that our president is someone who recognizes that coal is large part of the global energy mix and that we cannot reach global emissions reduction goals without CCS.

As we said in our official statement, we applaud President Obama for addressing such a complex issue and we look forward to working with his administration and Congress to find solutions that benefit everyone involved.

The big week for Pittsburgh continues Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/22/2009 09:00:00 AM

As the G20 Summit and the International Pittsburgh Coal Conference continue to make headlines in Western Pennsylvania this week, more good news recently came out of the region, as a potential solution for reducing greenhouse gases is set to debut—with the goal of attracting attention from world leaders in town to discuss global markets and economies.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported on Saturday that, “At Consol Energy Inc.'s Research and Development center in South Park on Tuesday, a process for capturing carbon dioxide from coal-burning power plants is expected to receive $1 million from the state Department of Environmental Protection for further testing.”

The process includes a pressurized fluid bed combustion boiler from PFBC Environmental Energy Technology Inc., a Pennsylvania-based company, with a carbon capture system created by Sweden-based Sargas Inc.

As quoted in the Tribune-Review, Henrik Fleischer, CEO of Sargas, said "The world seems to have a consensus on reducing global warming. There's just no way to achieve that goal without carbon capture and sequestration from existing power plants, no matter how many windmills and solar panels you build."

We’re keeping an eye on all the developments that are happening in Pittsburgh this week, so check back here for any new announcements from the Steel City.

A salute to the Steel City Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/21/2009 01:15:04 PM

Always known as an exciting sports town, Pittsburgh is making big headlines this week for other reasons. In the same week, the city is hosting the 26th Annual International Coal Conference as well as the G20 Summit. Much like the coal-based electricity sector, Pittsburgh has transformed its city into a center for new ideas and high-tech developments while keeping its identity as a hard-working, no-nonsense town.

As President Obama said:

[Pittsburgh] represents the transition of the U.S. economy from [an] industrial state to a mix of strong industry -- steel -- but also now biotech and clean energy. It has transformed itself, after some very tough times, into a city that's competing in the world economy.

So to have the G-20 summit, which is really becoming the forum in which an interconnected 21st-century economy is discussed and the architecture is shaped, having that conversation take place in Pittsburgh I think is very appropriate because it shows the direction that our economy is moving.

Throughout the world, coal is a major energy source, providing 41 percent of the world's electricity. The 26th Annual International Pittsburgh Coal Conference will focus on environmental emissions issues and technologies surrounding the continued use of coal, along with the development of future coal-based plants to achieve near-zero emissions.

As the world turns its attention to “The City of Champions,” it may be time to get rid of your preconceived notions about what the city once was, and while you’re at it, rethink just how far the coal-based electricity has come over the past few decades. The facts surely will surprise you.

We can lead the world in clean coal technologies Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/21/2009 09:00:00 AM

When U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu visited China this summer, he had one goal in mind: to open China’s market to American clean technology products while pushing China to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Chu also laid out plans for how the U.S. would export and transfer the technology to China.

Clearly, Chu recognizes that the U.S. is a leader in technologies like carbon capture and sequestration (CCS).

It’s easy to understand why – there are more than 200 clean coal programs and projects across the U.S. and nearly $6 billion in research underway in 41 states. Some American engineers, scientists and geologists have been working on clean coal technology for more than a decade.

With the new administration’s support of CCT, U.S. energy companies are making headway – just last week, the Southern Company (an ACCCE member) announced that China would be the first to implement Transport Integrated Gasification, the company’s technology for producing low-emission coal-based electricity.

Other U.S. energy companies are choosing to team up with their Chinese counterparts. Houston-based Future Fuels and Beijing-based Thermal Power Research Institute will focus on constructing coal-based electricity plants in both the U.S. and China.

As we’ve been saying, if we don’t develop the technology here, it won’t make its way to China, India and other places in the developing world that will continue to use massive amounts of coal no matter what we do in the U.S.

They need CCT just as much we do – but we have the technology know-how. It’s time for the U.S. to step up to the plate and lead the way in mitigating climate change.

Clean Coal Technology: it’s all around us Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/18/2009 12:59:00 PM

For a while this week, it seemed as though all of Washington was absorbed with clean coal technology. On Monday and Tuesday, not one, but two, conferences focused on carbon capture and sequestration (CCS).

We had to choose which one to attend, and we went with the one organized by the American Conference Institute. (Trade publisher Platts did the second one.)

I have to tell you we came away from ACI’s CCS summit encouraged about where the technology is heading.

Hearing about different CCS projects reminded us of the clean coal technology map wekeep on the AmericasPower.org site to help us track new clean coal projects around the country.

According to our data, there is over $6 billion in clean coal research underway right now in 41 states – even ones not normally associated with coal production.

The projects run the gamut from integrated gasification combined cycle research to advanced fossil energy research. (You can learn a lot about just how complex it is and how many different organizations are working on it just by clicking from one dot to another.)

Check out the map to find a clean coal research project near you – and if we missed any, be sure to let us know in the comment box below.

The CCS Summit reminded us of Venita Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/17/2009 01:00:00 PM

We just returned from ACI’S Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) Summit here in Washington, D.C. and learned some interesting new facts about the technology behind CCS. We also met and interviewed a few movers and shakers in the industry.

Speaking to all those energy folks reminded us of our friend Venita, an executive vice president at AEP West. Her career has been dedicated to providing affordable electricity for Americans. On top of that, she’s passionate about clean coal technology.

“We have to plan for the long term. That’s what we believe we’re doing with the advancement of clean coal technology – building a way to the future,” she says.

Although she couldn’t attend the summit, we’re confident that her carbon capture and sequestration knowledge is up-to-snuff.

Watch her videos and see for yourself – Venita has been encouraging members of her community to support AEP’s John W. Turk power plant by educating them about the economic and environmental benefits of clean coal.

You can be a clean coal and CCS expert, too – but asking questions is the first step. Check out our live coverage from the CCS summit and tell us what you think in the comment box below.

CCS shines at the Rutgers Energy Institute Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/17/2009 09:00:00 AM

We didn’t know much about Rutgers University’s energy research until we met Ben, a Rutgers graduate student, at the Research Experience in Carbon Sequestration in New Mexico.

Ben, who is studying atmospheric science, believes that carbon capture and storage (CCS) is “an important ingredient in solving the problem of global warming.” Hearing how passionate he felt about clean coal technology got us interested in learning more about Rutgers’ climate and energy programs.

We were excited to discover the Rutgers Energy Institute (REI), a center that integrates the university’s expertise in science and engineering and puts it toward alternative energy research – including CCS and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. Just this month, REI received almost $8 million in federal grants from the National Science Foundation.

According to the REI Web site, the CCS research focuses on:

•Developing technology to capture CO2 from coal-generated power plants and other point sources such as oil refineries and cement factories

•Exploring the potential for large-scale and long-term storage of CO2 in both onshore and offshore geologic formations

It’s no wonder Ben is so motivated about pushing CCS forward – he’s got the right resources behind him to help pave the way for a clean coal technology future.

Join the Rutgers University fan page on Facebook or follow Rutgers’ environmental school on Twitter.

Live from ACI's Carbon Capture and Sequestration Summit: Day Two Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/15/2009 09:16:00 AM

Live from ACI's Carbon Capture and Sequestration Summit Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/14/2009 02:06:31 PM

Coming soon: live blogging and Q&A from CCS summit Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/14/2009 10:52:57 AM

We’re attending the American Conference Institute’s Carbon Capture and Sequestration Summit and will be blogging and answering your questions live on Behind the Plug.

Want to send us your questions ahead of time? Email them to ask@americaspower.org or send us a direct message on Twitter.

New blog series: a spotlight on university clean coal programs Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/10/2009 09:00:00 AM

 America has long looked to their colleges and universities to solve problems on a national scale. The development of clean coal technologies (CCT) is no different.

That’s because many CCT demonstration projects stem from university programs run by geologists, scientists, engineers and researchers who have spent years testing and perfecting the science behind the technology.

Even the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) acknowledges academia’s role in moving CCT to commercial scale. Recently, the DOE announced more than $27 million in funding for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects, noting that the bulk of the funding would go toward university programs.

With that in mind, we are proud to introduce our weekly spotlight on university CCT programs. For the next few Thursdays, we’ll highlight programs and initiatives taking place at college campuses across the country.

We’ll kick things off with Stanford University’s Global Climate and Energy Project.

The program’s mission is to conduct research on technology that “permits the development of global energy systems with significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions.” Take a look at their research—they’re already working on a carbon dioxide storage project in China.

We actually had the opportunity to meet the director of the program, Dr. Sally Benson, during this year’s Research Exploration in Carbon Sequestration (RECS) in New Mexico.

During a video interview, Dr. Benson told us that understanding how carbon dioxide flows through rocks is the key to making CCS effective and safe.

Without programs like the Global Climate and Energy Project or dedicated scientists like Dr. Benson, our progress in emissions-reducing clean coal technologies would become stagnant. You can show your support for Dr. Benson and her program by adding Stanford University or the Stanford School of Engineering page to your Facebook profile.

Don’t miss next week’s university spotlight—subscribe to Behind the Plug via email or RSS to be alerted to new posts.

Ever heard the name Vattenfall? Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/09/2009 01:00:00 PM

Chances are, if you’re reading this from anywhere in the U.S., the name Vattenfall does not ring a bell. But, much like many companies here in the U.S., this Swedish power company is developing CCS technology that will help revolutionize the way we produce electricity from coal.

So why bring this up? Simple. As an organization, ACCCE hears the same misinformed statements nearly every day. So, to the skeptics out there, I wanted to get your opinion on what Vattenfall is doing in Germany as we speak.

According to Vattenfall:

Alternative and sustainable sources of energy are being developed but need more time before they can be commercialised and fully deployed on the market. Fossil fuels will be needed during the transition period. CO2 capture and storage (CCS) can support the transition to a low CO2 energy system in the near future.

Vattenfall also notes that:

The concept of applying capture and storage of CO2 to power plants is new. However, the technology already exists and it is already used in other applications:

• CO2 is captured in industrial processes
• CO2 is transported in pipelines over long distances by the oil and gas industry
• CO2 is injected deep underground to enhance oil production in mature oil fields

For those who say CO2 capture “can never happen” the answer is simply “it already is happening.” Do yourself the favor and take the time read about Vattenfall’s pilot CCS plant and the details behind their CCS demonstration plants. You’ll be glad you took the 10 minutes to learn about something a lot of skeptics say can never happen.

Good news for your holiday weekend Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/04/2009 09:00:00 AM

With Labor Day just around the corner, we’d like to take a moment to celebrate American workers and the positive impact they have on our economy.

American workers and industry play a huge role in the strength and vitality of our economy – and creating more jobs for talented individuals is an important step in our country’s continued economic recovery.

And as we build toward a clean energy future, we can create a wealth of new jobs by continuing to invest in advanced clean coal technology.

In fact, a report released earlier this year by BBC Research and Consulting stated that the deployment of about 90 advanced coal-based electricity plants equipped with carbon capture and storage (CCS) could generate up to $1 trillion of economic output and provide between 5 and 7 million man-years of employment during construction – as well as create a quarter of a million permanent jobs.

Creating good, green jobs for American workers and putting money back into our economy – that’s something we can all celebrate this weekend.

Carbon capture at work Posted by Joe Lucas on 08/31/2009 10:35:00 AM

It’s amazing, but we still hear things like carbon capture will never be a reality. But, with exciting new projects like AEP’s Mountaineer plant set to go online this week, we thought it would be a good time to remind readers that technology does exist.

The pilot facility at the Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin takes about one percent of its flue gas for use in the carbon capture demonstration project. Using a chilled ammonia process developed by Alstom Power Inc., the test project captures 90 percent of those carbon emissions. The demonstration project began in March 2008 and will last for two years.

The Pleasant Prairie and Mountaineer projects prove that there has never been an environmental challenge facing the coal-based electricity sector for which technology has provided a solution—and that reducing CO2 will not be an exception to the rule.

Curious what CO2 looks like when it is captured from a working power plant? Check out our video from the Factuality Tour. Carbon capture from an existing power plant is a reality…and those are the facts.

Alstom's carbon capture pilot project

Carbon capture in action

Local communities support new coal plants Posted by Joe Lucas on 08/27/2009 09:00:00 AM

When we were filming in and around Texarkana for our webisodes on affordable energy, we got to see firsthand how excited that community was about the new coal-generated Turk Plant that AEP is building there. There are a lot of jobs associated with that project – construction, operation and maintenance jobs at the plant itself as well as jobs in the community supporting workers at the Turk project. And as Venita told a group of students at the local community college in Hope, there was no incentive for AEP to build a project unless they could show the community that it was also good for the environment. That is true with every new coal project that is being built today.

I honestly think that some of the anti-coal groups would benefit from taking the time to talk more with local people in these communities to gain their perspective before they challenge these projects that not only are needed to meet growing energy demand, but also provide jobs in local communities where they are located.

DOE announces more than $27 million for CO2 storage Posted by Joe Lucas on 08/25/2009 01:00:00 PM

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced it would contribute $27.6 million in funding to various carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects across the country.

The funding will be distributed to 19 demonstration projects and will focus on monitoring and tracking the movement of carbon dioxide through geologic storage sites.

These projects, which have stemmed from university programs run by scientists and researchers, have been going on for years – but according to a DOE sequestration director, the time has come “to make an effort to start looking at verification and accounting protocols after the field work.”

As we saw firsthand at RECS, there are many talented minds and dedicated university programs behind the next generation of clean coal technology. This kind of government leadership is exactly what we need to help research programs and CCS projects move to commercial scale.

Aurora Biofuels develop “super-algae” Posted by Joe Lucas on 08/25/2009 09:00:00 AM

The New York Times reports that California start-up company Aurora Biofuels has cultivated a kind of algae that doubles the production of biodiesel by absorbing twice the amount of carbon dioxide than conventional strains.

The new algae strain will be more efficient. Usually, one pound of algae consumes more than two pounds of CO2. But with Aurora’s new “super-algae,” it will consume up to four pounds of gas.

And the more CO2 algae consumes, the better – because instead of releasing CO2 emissions from coal-generated power plants into the air, it will be sequestered into tanks of algae and recycled into alternative fuels.

Currently, Aurora has a pilot facility that produces a gallon of biodiesel a day from an Olympic pool-sized pond, but the company hopes to have a demonstration plant capable of producing 1,000 gallons of fuel a day by 2010.

Scientists and environmental groups have given this process the thumbs up, but there’s still a lot of work to be done to get the project going on a commercial scale. Still, it’s reassuring to know that companies like Aurora are pushing to make it happen.

UPDATE: 8/25/20092 3:00 PM

CNN also has a great article noting the uptick in investments for algae-based biofuels. As we’ve seen with clean coal technologies over the years, these investments—and subsequent public-private partnerships—are crucial to helping new technology make the leap from the lab to commercial use.

Alstom Power CEO says the government must get involved in CCS Posted by Joe Lucas on 08/24/2009 01:00:00 PM

We were very excited to see Alstom Power CEO Pierre Gauthier’s recent interview on E&E's OnPoint – especially because our Factuality Tour team had the opportunity to visit his company’s clean coal technology program in Pleasant Prairie, Wis., just a few months ago.

CO2 capture in action

Gauthier discussed the carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies Alstom is testing in the U.S – including the demonstration project our team got to see in action at We Energies’ Pleasant Prairie Power Plant. The project, developed by Alstom, uses a chilled ammonia process to capture up to 90 percent of carbon dioxide emissions.

Gauthier says that although the We Energies project is only a pilot program, it has been a success. He hopes that by 2015, the U.S. will be able to offer commercial technologies to capture carbon dioxide – “provided that there is legislation, provided there are objectives” and the “motivation needed to be able to bring these technologies to the commercial side,” of course.

He acknowledges that the cost and the risk involved in deploying CCS is going to be “huge,” but Gauthier says that in order to stem the rates and subsidies and balance shareholders’ risk, the government must be involved to reduce these effects.

That’s what we’ve been saying all along. I’m glad that the energy industry has voices like Gauthier to help push CCS forward and encourage government involvement. Make sure to watch his video interview or read the interview transcript.

How much CO2 can we store? Posted by Joe Lucas on 08/13/2009 03:34:51 PM

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.

Creating energy independence with captured CO2 Posted by Joe Lucas on 08/12/2009 02:48:35 PM

We often talk about carbon capture and sequestration on Behind the Plug, but what happens after carbon dioxide gas is “captured?” Sure, we can store it in the sea, store it underground or feed it to algae, but there’s another thing we can do – we can use carbon dioxide to recover depleted oil fields.

This process is called enhanced oil recovery (EOR), a general term that describes methods to increase the amount of crude oil that can be extracted from an oil field. It can be done in many ways, but the most commonly used approach is to inject captured carbon dioxide into depleted oil fields to help jumpstart recovery.

Because EOR increases oil production here within our borders, it improves local economies and reduces our nation’s dependence on imported oil. Fortunately, the government is helping to fund and develop EOR projects all across the country.

America's Power hits downtown Richmond Posted by Joe Lucas on 08/07/2009 02:05:03 PM

When we say that America's Power^SM is hitting the streets, we mean it - literally.

This week, Team Virginia (we have teams in many key states across the country) stopped in downtown Richmond to get people excited about clean coal technology and its impact on the U.S. economy.

Free shirts and hats in hand, the team stormed the 17th Street Market, the State Capitol building, Richmond's business district and local food joints, Jo Jo's Pizza and Padow's Ham and Deli.

What did the team discover in Richmond? People are enthusiastic about clean and affordable energy and recognize the value of the coal industry - not only for powering Virginia homes, but for their efforts toward reducing the environmental impact of statewide coal consumption. And the free stuff, too!

VIDEO UPDATE: Injecting CO2 into the ground in New Mexico Posted by Joe Lucas on 08/03/2009 05:41:19 PM

We told you last week about New Mexico’s Pump Canyon, where researchers are injecting liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) into the ground for permanent storage. The monitoring effort at Pump Canyon includes using “tracers” to monitor the site and ensure the CO2 is staying where it belongs.

The team we sent to New Mexico returned with photos (posted here on Flickr) and the video below, in which officials from the U.S. Department of Energy and Southwest Partnership on Carbon Sequestration explain the monitoring effort at Pump Canyon.

RECS: Filling an Academic Need in Carbon Storage Research Posted by Joe Lucas on 07/31/2009 06:39:52 PM

 Well, that wraps up another year at the Research Experience in Carbon Sequestration (RECS).

It was a great chance for us to meet the men and women behind the latest clean coal technology (CCT).

As we discovered, some of America's smartest people are working around the clock on the next generation of CCT, which includes the capture and safe storage of carbon dioxide. (VIDEO: See for yourself.)

RECS Director Pamela Tomski told us that RECS fills a void, as there are no university programs dedicated to CCS. Instead, academic research typically is fragmented into different disciplines.

To counter that, RECS offers a comprehensive overview of all aspects of the science, technology and policy behind of CCS.

In the video below, Tomski talks about the success of this year’s RECS program:

RECS: Researchers are injecting CO2 into the ground in New Mexico Posted by Joe Lucas on 07/30/2009 02:13:01 PM

After getting the fundamentals of geological carbon storage through classroom and group exercises, it was finally time for the RECS group to go out into the field and see CCS in action.

Along with RECS, our team went into the field with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Southwest Regional Partnership (SWP) on Carbon Sequestration.

At New Mexico’s Pump Canyon, our team toured SWP’s test project site, where researchers are injecting carbon dioxide (CO2) into the ground.

RECS: Students agree on the need for CCS Posted by Joe Lucas on 07/29/2009 10:13:47 AM

There are many ways to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and each has its pros and cons — a successful solution will involve a balanced mix that includes all options available to us.

At the Research Experience in Carbon Sequestration (RECS) program, Ph.D. and graduate students played the Stabilization Wedge Game developed by Princeton University’s Carbon Mitigation Initiative. The object is to keep CO2 emissions flat using wedges representing different strategies.

Teams included students from academic institutions such as Columbia University, Ohio State University, Indiana University, Penn State University, Rutgers University and Johns Hopkins University.

A major part of the game includes weighing the financial costs of each CO2 reduction strategy. That is, we all want to reduce CO2 emissions, but we need to take into account the need for affordable and reliable electricity and ensure that we protect our economy.

The best Stabilization Wedge Game players put together a realistic option for CO2 reduction that wins over the following stakeholder groups: taxpayers/consumers; energy companies; environmental groups; manufacturers; industrialized nations; and developing nations.

Invariably, this means including CCS as a wedge strategy. Students at RECS agreed that since we rely on coal for 50 percent of our electricity, the solution must include a plan to increase our investments in CCS projects.

That’s what we’ve been saying all along, but it was nice to see a team of academic scholars reach the same conclusion.