CCS success: Notes from day two of the Regional Carbon Sequestration Conference Posted by Joe Lucas on 11/19/2009 09:00:00 AM

This is the second in a series of posts from ACCCE’s National Communications Director, Steve Gates, who is attending the Regional Carbon Sequestration Conference underway in Pittsburgh, Penn.

For those who might question the substance behind CCS, I have one thing to say: You should have come to Pittsburgh.

On day two of the Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships Annual Review Meeting, more than a dozen researchers and government officials presented scores of charts, maps, photos and numbers detailing the latest stages of underground sequestration projects. The overriding message? CCS is working.

Across the country, scientists are injecting hundreds of tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the ground to test the long-term storage of the greenhouse gas.

Among the many factors researchers are weighing: How much pressure can the ground tolerate? How would earthquakes affect underground storage? How much ground would be needed to store CO₂ generated by a coal plant year after year?

Findings presented Tuesday on three projects show the promise of underground carbon sequestration:

1. Based on results of CO₂ injection into coal seams in the Williston Basin, researchers have determined that lignite coal seams are an attractive option for storage. In fact, a senior adviser at the Energy and Environment Research Center (EERC) at the University of North Dakota noted that researchers have concluded that there exists 100 years worth of CO₂ storage for a 500 megawatt power plant in the region.

2. James Sorenson, a senior research manager at EERC reported continued success from the Plains CO₂ Reduction Partnership’s “Huff and Puff” project, which has been pumping CO₂ into an oil reservoir about 8,000 feet deep in Northwest North Dakota. Oil fields in the region, Sorenson believes, are “the lowest-hanging fruit in regard to CO₂ injection opportunities.”

3. University of Texas research scientist Susan Hovorka told the Factuality team that the Gulf Coast is home to the largest volume of underground sequestration of CO₂ in the U.S., noting that one million tons of CO₂ has been safely pumped into old oil wells in Mississippi in the last 15 months.

We’ve seen so much progress on CCS in the last day—and there's still plenty more to come from the conference. Stay tuned.

The facts: The power industry’s investment in clean coal technologies Posted by Joe Lucas on 11/18/2009 09:00:00 AM

One of the questions I’m most frequently asked about clean coal technologies is this: “How much does the coal industry spend on deploying the technologies it advocates?”

Answer: According to a report from Energy Ventures Analysis, Inc., the U.S. power industry has invested roughly $90 billion to deploy clean coal technologies to reduce emissions since 1990.

This huge expenditure has enabled today’s coal-based generating fleet to produce electricity that is 77 percent cleaner in terms of emissions currently regulated under existing Clean Air Act programs per unit of energy produced.

And our success with these technologies has set the stage for the next generation of clean coal projects.

In fact, the industry’s private investments, coupled with the government’s crucial contributions, have allowed for a myriad of CCS demonstration projects around the country—paving the way for commercial-scale CO₂ removal and permanent storage.

Want to learn more about our commitment to a clean energy future? Read the study for yourself, and check out our clean coal technology map to learn about projects happening near you.

Researchers finding new ways to feed algae Posted by Joe Lucas on 11/16/2009 01:00:00 PM

As we’ve covered in recent months on Behind the Plug, algae are being tested for its ability to suck carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from coal-generated power plants. As it turns out, algae see CO₂ as nutrients.

These days, researchers are exploring specifically how to use algae as an alternative technology in carbon capture and storage, experimenting with the organisms to remove CO₂ from smokestacks — eliminating the need to trap and permanently bury the CO₂.

The most promising research might be coming out of China, where scientists are testing microalgae at their coal-powered plants. First, the coal is gasified in a simulated underground environment. The carbon dioxide is then extracted with the help of solar and wind power and "fed" to algae, which at that time can used to make biofuel, fertilizer or animal feed—a winning blend of natural and renewable energy sources.

While algae technology is still in the development phase, it certainly shows promise. (Check out previous blog posts on “super algae,” a proposed demonstration plant that would turn algae into ethanol, and coal and algae being considered the “perfect” clean energy pair.) And given that almost half of our electricity comes from coal, we’re confident that this next generation of technologies will make coal a reliable source of energy in the years ahead.

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.

Everyone seems to like CCS Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/21/2009 01:00:00 PM

Today at a climate conference in Washington, lawmakers and key interests in energy and environmental issues said that any viable climate change bill must support technologies that curb carbon dioxide emissions.

At a morning session titled “The Farm Factor and the Role for Coal,” ACCCE Senior Vice President Paul Bailey said that advanced clean coal technologies for carbon capture and storage (CCS) – although in relative infancy – are a real solution to improving the environment while providing the energy stability that Americans want.

Joining Bailey on the panel was Glenn English, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association; Dan Lashof, director of the climate center for the National Resources Defense Council; and Rick Krause, senior director of congressional relations at the American Farm Bureau. It was moderated by Rebecca Adams, a senior writer at CQ Weekly.

Several disagreements flared over the cost and effectiveness and the consumer benefits of proposed climate legislation over the 75-minute discussion. But consensus emerged on the topic of CCS.

“It looks like everyone is for carbon capture and storage,” Bailey said afterward.

Lashof, representing environmental interests, said in the panel that “you can make it work,” referring to CCS. He said that the “oil industry has spent 100 years” using CO₂ to extract fossil fuels from out of the ground. “They have learned a lot,” he said.

Bailey said he remembered when proposed scrubbers to eliminate SO₂ emissions were criticized.

“They said it wouldn’t work, it was too expensive,” he said. “They said it was difficult if not impossible to do.”

But he argued that the technology turned out to be less complicated to produce – and the results were dramatic. He noted afterward that the House and Senate versions of the climate change legislation includes between $150 billion and $200 billion for CCS initiatives.

We think that’s a step in the right direction. Let us know what you think.

Proposed gasification plant in Alaska could quadruple U.S. coal reserves Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/21/2009 09:00:00 AM

Source: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is advising Cook Inlet Region Inc., an Alaska native-owned corporation, about building a 100-megawatt underground coal gasification plant on a shore near Anchorage, Ala., reports The San Francisco Business Times.

Alaska has about one-sixth of the world’s coal resources, The Times says. UGC technology would allow the state to fully use otherwise unrecoverable coal deposits, effectively tripling or quadrupling the U.S.’s coal reserves, according to Lawrence Livermore. This would be a big boost toward increasing our energy independence.

For those who aren’t familiar, underground coal gasification converts coal that is still in the ground into a combustible gas, which can then be used for industrial heating, power generation or the manufacture of hydrogen, synthetic natural gas or diesel fuel.

The technology eliminates the need for coal to be mined, making it an environmentally safer and economically viable technology. Australia successfully demonstrated UGC on a commercial scale in 2008, and there are UGC projects underway in China, India and South Africa.

Cook Inlet Region Inc.’s $280 million UGC project is just one more example of our industry’s commitment to finding innovative ways to produce energy from coal. It would also help diversify Alaska’s current energy mix and provide a climate-conscious way to ensure greater energy security for the country.

Factuality Tour 2009: On the road again Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/15/2009 01:07:08 PM

National Communications Director Steve Gates just visited the 2009 Gasification Technologies Conference as part of the America's Power^SM Factuality Tour. We'll be posting his interviews and videos from the event over the next several days.

The America's Power^SM Factuality Tour is back on the road, and this time we’re off to Colorado Springs for the 2009 Gasification Technologies Conference.

So what goes on at a conference like this? Well, it’s the gasification industry’s biggest event, full of expert presentations on the latest industry trends, developments and cutting-edge technologies. In fact, this year’s conference attracted nearly 750 attendees representing more than 400 companies and organizations from North America, Europe and Asia.

The strong attendance level can be attributed to several factors, including uncertainties surrounding future oil and natural gas prices as well as calls for more stringent control of fossil fuels’ environmental footprint – all of which play to the strengths of gasification technologies.

To learn more about gasification – and find out a little more about the event – I tracked down the conference’s director, Jim Childress of the Gasification Technology Council, and Neville Holt of the Electric Power Research Institute, who has been involved with the conference since its early days. These guys gave us a great overview of the conference and the field of gasification – and they both had a lot to say about how gasification can play an important role in producing low-emission electricity from coal in the very near future. Make sure you check out our video interviews with Jim and Neville to hear everything they had to say.

George Westinghouse: inspiring timeless innovation Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/07/2009 09:00:00 AM

Historically, the electricity sector has seen some of the best and brightest innovators and inventors—so it’s no wonder why today’s energy researchers remain inspired to achieve new advances in electricity. This, for our time, means making it cleaner and more efficient.

But engineers and scientists couldn’t have developed clean coal technology projects like without the contributions of George Westinghouse, Jr., one of the early pioneers of modern electricity.

Today marks the 163rd anniversary of Westinghouse’s birthday. Over the course of his life, he patented more than 100 inventions and founded almost 60 companies, including his own power company, Westinghouse Electric.

Most importantly, he introduced and developed alternating currents for power and light, which ultimately prevailed over Thomas Edison’s direct current system.

Although many years have passed, Westinghouse’s alternating current system is still used to deliver electricity to businesses and homes today.

What will the next wave of innovation bring? I think we’ve got a pretty good idea, as clean coal technologies and alternative energy options make their way to the marketplace. If history is any indication, they’ll change lives and stand the test of time.

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.

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.

What they’re saying: clean coal technology and the economy Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/09/2009 09:00:00 AM

With the climate change bill moving through the Senate and the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen around the corner, many public officials have voiced their opinions about the importance of coal and clean coal technology. Here’s a sampling of what they’ve been saying lately:

On clean coal technology:

Bjørn Lomborg, professor at the Copenhagen Business School and director of the Copenhagen Consensus Center, Wall Street Journal (8/28): In an op-ed, Lomborg “urges action to address global warming, and argues that the most effective way to address the problem is through technology. Economic sanctions such as a carbon tax or cap-and-trade program will only hinder technological development.”

On the Department of Energy’s announcement of $27 million in funding for clean coal technology:

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Washington Examiner (8/28): “The University of Texas at Austin is one of seven organizations receiving funding to develop sequestration technology training projects.” The $8.4 million awarded to the university “will be used to train site developers, geologists, engineers, and technicians in order to facilitate the transfer of knowledge and technologies for CO2 sequestration.” Said Chu, “These projects will train workers for a clean energy economy and help position the United States as a leader in carbon capture and storages technologies for years to come.”

On the benefits of coal:

Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.), The Shelby County Reporter (8/26): “Its [coal’s] advantages are that it’s abundant and relatively low-cost. Coal production is a huge source of revenue, as the total annual value of coal produced in the state exceeds $1 billion.”

Restating facts about our energy future Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/01/2009 01:00:00 PM

In the past few months, ACCCE has launched several initiatives to help inform Americans about environmental issues and America’s energy future—a critical topic as the U.S. Senate takes up climate change legislation.

We visited clean coal technology projects during our Factuality Tour. We profiled three Americans who shared how their lives were made better by low-cost electricity from coal. And we traveled across the U.S. to share our message of affordable energy. With all the work that we’ve been doing, we’re bound to hear some criticism. That’s part of a rigorous debate. But we have to step in when someone writes something about our organization that misstates our position.

In a recent article, Daily Finance, a business and financial news Web site, included ACCCE in a rundown of think tanks and lobbying organizations that do not want climate change legislation to pass in the Senate. That is false.

Just the opposite is true. ACCCE has been very clear from the beginning that we are for federal carbon management legislation and we recognize that a cap-and-trade program could be part of that solution.

When outside groups – including publications like Daily Finance – imply that we are trying to “kill” clean energy legislation, it can’t go uncorrected. All of our efforts are part of a bigger goal to ensure that whatever bill Congress passes protects consumers from higher energy costs while meeting emission reduction goals.

In addition, the article mentioned that our Factuality Tour was a “stunt” to discourage people from supporting the climate change bill. Again, this is incorrect – the Factuality Tour explores clean coal technology (CCT) projects throughout the U.S., augmenting the provisions in the current version of the climate legislation for CCT funding.

ACCCE prides itself on being an organization that stands by its commitments and that is why we are disappointed when publications misrepresent our mission and public policy positions.

Let’s agree that climate legislation is a very important issue. It is the nexus of energy, environment and economic policy … and therefore will have a dramatic impact on the life of every American. It deserves better than the politics-as-usual slant some publications continue to inject into the debate.

Helping The Environment And The Economy At The Same Time Posted by Joe Lucas on 08/21/2009 04:00:00 PM

According to a recent study, the majority of West Virginians believe their state’s economic growth should be given priority, even at the expense of protecting their environment.

But West Virginia can have their cake and eat it, too – clean coal technology will make it possible for Americans to boost the economy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The importance of advanced technology for carbon capture and storage is that it is a path for us to remove the choice from that poll, which we believe to be a false choice.

We do not have to sacrifice the environment. And we do not have to sacrifice economic recovery.

A study conducted by BBC Research and Consulting says that the commercial-scale deployment of clean coal technology will generate up to $1 trillion of economic output and create more than 7 million man-years of employment.

The takeaway is that we can help both the economy and the environment at the same time.

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.

VIDEO UPDATE: Stanford University professor on CO2 storage strategies Posted by Joe Lucas on 08/03/2009 05:45:21 PM

A couple of weeks ago, we introduced you to Dr. Sally Benson, director of the Global Climate Energy Project at Stanford University.

She is an expert on how carbon dioxide flows through rocks, a key to understanding the ways to make CCS effective and safe. At Stanford, she teaches courses on CCS and greenhouse gas mitigation technologies

The video below features highlights from Dr. Benson’s lecture at the Research Experience in Carbon Sequestration (RECS) in New Mexico:

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.

RECS: We Believe in Clean Coal Posted by Joe Lucas on 07/28/2009 03:05:42 PM

Sometimes in this job, it’s easy to feel like people just don’t get it. And as I get older, I often feel like my parents when I see young adults who are very firm in their conviction and purpose but just fail to see the bigger picture.

That’s why it was so exciting to see the video posted above, in which the next generation of environmental scientists, geologists, engineers and researchers talk about CCS, the shorthand for carbon capture and sequestration.

These are America’s top minds at places like Columbia University and Rutgers University. And in the face of the energy challenges facing our nation, they’re working toward a solution. They recognize the necessity that we have carbon capture and storage because we will still need to use coal (both here and around the world), but they also get that technology is the solution.

Other voices from the academic community on CCS:

•See video: Dr. Sally Benson, director of the Global Climate Energy Project at Stanford University, is an expert on how carbon dioxide flows through rocks.

•See video: Dr. Klaus Lackner, the director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, is an expert on ensuring that sequestered CO2 stays in the ground in a safe manner.

•See video: Dr. Michael Celia, chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Princeton University, is an expert on assessing CO2 storage possibilities.

With so many talented individuals working toward the same goal, it’s all the more evident that clean energy technologies like CCS can and will reduce emissions while allowing us to use our most abundant and affordable energy source: coal.

RECS: Stanford University Studies Ways to Make CCS Effective and Safe Posted by Joe Lucas on 07/24/2009 08:30:00 AM

This week we’ll be attending the Research Experience in Carbon Sequestration (RECS) – a 10-day program that advances scientific research and professional training in the field of carbon capture and storage (CCS).

Here at RECS, our team caught up with Dr. Sally Benson, director of the Global Climate Energy Project at Stanford University. She is an expert on how carbon dioxide flows through rocks, a key to understanding the ways to make CCS effective and safe.

At Stanford, she teaches courses on CCS and greenhouse gas mitigation technologies. She talks to us about her work at Stanford:

Learn more about Dr. Benson’s Lab.

RECS: Putting the ‘Safe’ in Safe CO2 Storage Posted by Joe Lucas on 07/23/2009 10:13:00 AM

This week, we’ll be attending the Research Experience in Carbon Sequestration (RECS) – a 10-day program that advances scientific research and professional training in the field of carbon capture and storage (CCS).

When we talk about the coal-based generating sector’s commitment to clean, we often refer to the eventual capture and safe storage of carbon dioxide (CO2).

This week at RECS, Dr. Klaus Lackner talked about how to ensure that the CO2 stays in the ground in a safe manner.

Dr. Lackner, the director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, talked about the best way to monitor underground CO2 injection, including the advantages of using C-14 tagging, which involves a harmless carbon isotope.

Adding one microgram of C-14 to every ton of CO2 would be a safe way of alerting detectors that the carbon present at the storage site is the very same carbon that was injected in the CCS process.

When it comes to the safe storage of CO2, Dr. Lackner says it’s important to get it right.

In the video below, Dr. Lackner explains his work at Columbia University:

Companies spending millions on new clean coal research consortium Posted by Joe Lucas on 12/10/2008 12:01:48 PM

Some of our readers still want to know whether our member companies are pursuing clean coal technology projects. You bet!

Last week, three of our members—Ameren, Arch Coal and Peabody Energy—announced that they will form a consortium to research advanced clean coal technologies.

Based at Washington University in St. Louis, the Consortium for Clean Coal Utilization will bring together myriad of experts, including researchers, professors and government organizations, all in efforts to research and advance clean coal technology. We talked to the Wash U folks back in October, at which time they tipped us off that big news was afoot.

In its press release, the university said it has committed “more than $60 million in the past year to advance education and research related to energy, environment and sustainability.” Further support will be provided by Arch Coal and Peabody Energy, who will contribute $5 million to the consortium with an additional $2 million from Ameren, to be paid over five years.

Research and projects are expected to include:

· Co-combustion of coal with biomass or oxygen (which can lead to reductions in carbon emissions)
· Approaches to carbon capture and storage
· Pilot-scale facilities

In a statement, Washington University Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton said, "From a university perspective, this is an exciting way to take coal — one of the nation's most abundant energy resources — and put it to work for the public good. The university will also work to build public understanding of the energy options for the future. The Consortium for Clean Coal Utilization will place St. Louis as the center for clean coal research."

We couldn’t agree more and look forward to hearing about the progress.