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Technology Collaboration Programme by IEA

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Discover the latest advances carbon capture and storage research

Technical Report

Current State of Knowledge Regarding the Risk of Induced Seismicity at CO2 Storage Projects

  • 1 January 2022
  • Storage

The primary objective of this study is to summarize the levels of induced seismicity observed in or near CO2 storage sites, and the consequences of the induced seismicity in terms of impact on people, as well as the environment, assets and reputation of operators, authorities, and on CCS technology. A second objective is to gain an understanding on processes that industry and authorities employ to manage the risk of induced seismicity. A third objective is to present notable case studies where outreach measures have supported operators and regulators in managing concerns of stakeholders in connection with induced seismicity. The final task of the study is to identify current research and innovation trends to better manage the risk of induced seismicity.

Technical Report

Techno-economic Performance, Opportunities, and Challenges

  • 1 December 2021
  • Capture
  • Costs of CCUS

The aim of this study is to provide a transparent framework to evaluate the potential (in terms of sequestered and displaced carbon), and economics (in terms of cost of carbon avoided and removed) of a non-exhaustive selection of NETs pathways. Ecosystem and socio-economic impacts associated with their deployment is also quantified. The study sets out to help the carbon capture and storage (CCS) community in trying to gain a better understanding of the costs and value of NETs. It also helps the modelling community in being able to better model the role of NETs; and policy/decision makers in having more information on costs, value and scalability of NETs.

Technical Report

Global Assessment of Direct Air Capture Costs

  • 1 December 2021
  • Capture
  • Costs of CCUS

This study aims to improve the current DACCS cost-performance evidence base by synthesising data from the recent literature and technology developers to explore the economic feasibility of different DACCS technologies (both liquid and solid based systems) across timescales, capacities, configurations, and numerous global siting factors. It also provides recommendations for the integrated assessment modelling (IAM) community and policymakers to inform next steps for DACCS implementation and deployment.

Technical Report

CO2 as a Feedstock: Comparison of CCU Pathways

  • 1 November 2021
  • Utilisation

The aim of this study is to present a holistic assessment of the viability (both technically and from a market perspective) of carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) routes and to identify areas of strength and weakness within individual routes, compare different CCU pathways, and identify common drivers, barriers, and enablers. The results of this study will be of interest to the technical community, as well as industry and manufacturers. The study assessed commodities across four different CCU categories (building materials, chemicals, polymers and fuels) regarding their mitigation potential, market uptake potential, technical scalability and other impacts.

Technical Report

CO2 Utilisation: Hydrogenation Pathways

  • 1 November 2021
  • Costs of CCUS
  • Utilisation

The aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of select carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) routes based upon CO2 conversion through hydrogenation, in terms of their climate change mitigation potential. The results of this study will be of interest to organisations/individuals involved with climate-change scenario modelling, as well as RD&D financial sponsors. The commodities selected for investigation were methanol, formic acid, and middle distillate hydrocarbons (synthetic fuels: diesel, gasoline, jet fuel), with a focus on catalytic hydrogenation pathways. Results of CO2 emissions, costs and energy consumption for formic acid, however, will not be presented in detail in this Overview, as the analysis has shown that the abatement is limited to 2 MtCO2 due to the small market size. (Results for formic acid are available in the full report.)

Technical Report

Biorefineries with CCS

  • 1 March 2021
  • Capture
  • Costs of CCUS

The aim of this study is to provide a techno-economic assessment of biorefinery concepts with and without carbon capture and storage (CCS) as well as a comparative assessment of 1st generation and 2nd generation biorefineries. The results of this study will be of interest to developers of biorefinery and CCS projects and policy makers.

Technical Report

CCS and the Sustainable Development Goals

  • 15 December 2020
  • Policy & Regulation

The overall objective of this assessment was to improve the availability and accessibility of information regarding the relevance of CCS in contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The primary objective was achieved through the completion of three key goals: <ol> <!-- wp:list-item --><!-- wp:list-item --><li>Collation of existing information on impacts of CCS on specific targets of the 17 SDGs, using the rating, scoring and information assessment as per IPCC’s SR1.5,</li><!-- /wp:list-item --><!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --><!-- wp:list-item --><li>Articulation of specific gaps in information, and</li><!-- /wp:list-item --><!-- /wp:list-item --> </ol> Proposal of a path forward by providing a prioritised lists of gap closures.There is a growing body of literature orientated towards converting climate action into policies directed towards implementation of SDGs. There is also a trend of material becoming available examining the interaction of technologies and sectors against SDGs. CCS remains a complex technological solution to climate change, and public understanding of the technology remains low. This study can help to substantiate the wider value of CCS, but it can also highlight points of attention/action on potentially negative interactions with specific SDGs.

Technical Report

CCS on Waste to Energy

  • 1 December 2020
  • Capture

It is estimated that, by 2050, 3.75 billion tons of waste will be produced annually and 11.1% of it will be incinerated (The World Bank). Globally, it is estimated that 1.76 billion tons1 of CO2 were generated from solid waste treatment and disposal in 2016, representing 5% of the total global CO2 emissions (The World Bank). In waste-to-energy (WtE) facilities, the waste incineration of 1 ton of municipal solid waste (MSW) is associated with the release of about 0.7-1.7 tons1 of CO2. (Zero Waste Europe, 2019). The CO2 content in the flue gas emitted from WtE facilities is approximately 6-12%, depending on the feedstock and treatment process (Zehenhoven R. and Kilpinen P). IEAGHG identified the need to explore the implementation of CCUS (Carbon Capture & Utilization/Storage) as a CO2 emissions mitigation pathway in the WtE sector under different regional scenarios. This report is divided into 5 sections: overview of WtE frameworks and WtE with CCS projects; review of regulations for WtE plants; overview of strategies to cut down CO2 emissions from WtE plants; review of challenges on the integration of CO2 capture systems on WtE plants; and assessment of the market potential of the WtE-CCU/CCS integration.

Technical Report

IEAGHG High Temperature Solid Looping Cycles Network – Combined meeting report

  • 16 October 2020
  • Capture
  • Event Proceedings

The 6th HTSLCN Meeting took place from 1st to 2nd September 2015 at the Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano, in Italy. 72 attendees from 19 countries enjoyed a two-day programme with 45 presentations, site visits to research facilities at Politecnico di Milano and a stunning dinner at Lake Como. Two keynotes covered the progress made in calcium and chemical looping technologies respectively in the last decade. The technical sessions provided the latest advances in calcium and chemical looping pilot plant testing, solid carrier fundamentals, system modelling, process and heat integration, and sorption enhanced reforming technologies. Other topics were utilisation of biomass as a fuel, techno-economics of a large-scale packed bed reactor for chemical looping and the application of calcium looping in cement plants. The meeting formally closed with a discussion forum that summarised the main conclusions from the earlier presentations and the most burning issues for the future. The 7th HTSLCN Meeting will take place from 4th to 5th September 2017 at Swerea MEFOS in Luleå, Sweden.

Technical Report

Beyond LCOE: Value of technologies in different generation and grid scenarios

  • 29 September 2020
  • Capture
  • Costs of CCUS

Since its introduction, the levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) has become ubiquitous in the evaluation and comparison of power generation technologies. While it is a readily accessible metric, it focuses exclusively on the cost of electricity produced from an asset and neglects to address the provision of ancillary services that are vital for the reliable operation of an electricity grid. This simplification was entirely appropriate for the electricity system of the 20th century, dominated at it was by fossil fuels and nuclear technologies, but it falls well short as a metric to compare technologies in a system to provide net-zero emissions by the mid-21st century. The objective of this study was to evaluate the various concepts that have been proposed as alternatives to LCOE and to explore the potential for a concept that balances completeness and ease of use. As an alternative to LCOE, this study proposes the modified screening curve concept, which shows that, while intermittent renewables have significant value by providing energy/fuel savings, a low-carbon dispatchable technology such as CCUS has critical value by supplying the flexible capacity to deliver security of supply.

Technical Report

Review of Constructability and Operational Challenges faced by CCUS projects

  • 9 September 2020
  • Industry Insights

IEAGHG has commissioned several technical studies linked to large CCS projects1. Although constructability and operational challenges have been identified in previous IEAGHG reports, some aspects were unique due to the locations where the large CCS projects were implemented. These included the status of the initial facilities and other techno-economic and financial aspects of the specific CCUS projects. IEAGHG identified the need to provide a guide on constructability and operation for new CCS users. The objective of this study is to collect information from CCS projects to support the decisions during the transition from the planning to the execution phase. This study analysed a complete list of large CCUS projects from which relevant experience could be extracted. The projects were divided into three categories: operating projects; under construction or at advanced development; and cancelled projects. Based on the analysed projects, this study has delivered an assessment of potential key areas for success, and a decision tool guide for future projects

Technical Report

Understanding the cost of reducing water usage

  • 1 September 2020
  • Capture
  • Costs of CCUS

Previous IEAGHG studies (IEAGHG 2010/05, IEAGHG 2012/12, and IEAGHG 2018/04) have identified key factors that affect the Energy-Water-CCS Nexus: location; the dependency of the costs and water consumption on the cooling system; and the post-combustion CO2 capture (PCC) system. Additionally, extracting water from a CO2 storage site can significantly increase the available volumetric space for CO2 storage which could benefit PCC in the power sector. The conclusions drawn from these studies identified the need to assess the technical and economic impact of water consumption in power plants with and without CO2 capture systems in different locations. Further investigation also needs to encompass the impact of local regulations, ambient conditions, specific region-based power plants configurations, and water availability. This current study was conducted in two phases. Phase 1 developed a hypothetical base case scenario of power plants with and without a PCC system in The Netherlands, assuming both on and offshore storage, and with and without treatment of the water extracted from the storage site for its reuse in the power plant. Phase 2 was based on four hypothetical PCC systems in South Africa, Australia, China and India.

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