GAO Reports on Viability of Carbon Capture and Storage
Federal Actions Will Greatly Affect the Viability of Carbon Capture and Storage As a Key Mitigation Option: (GAO)
DOE has achieved limited results in lowering the cost of CO2 capture from existing coal-fired power plants. A major reason is that the agency has focused on “Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle” (IGCC) technology, a promising technology for new coal-fired power plants, but one that is less useful when applied to existing coal power plants. The agency has only recently begun to shift toward an approach that also emphasizes Carbon Capture and Storage (CSS) technologies applicable to existing power plants…
Coal-fired power plants are one of the largest sources of CO2 emissions. In the United States, coal-fired power plants account for approximately one-third of total CO2 emissions. Figure 1 shows total U.S. CO2 emissions, what portions are from each sector of the economy, and sources where CCS could more readily be used.
According to the National Academy of Sciences, global temperatures have already risen 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit since the start of the 20th century—with much of this warming occurring in the last 30 years alone—and temperatures will likely rise at least another 2 degrees Fahrenheit, and potentially more than 11 degrees, over the next 100 years. This warming will cause significant changes in sea level, ecosystems, and ice cover, among other impacts. In the Arctic region, temperatures have increased almost twice as much as the global average, and the landscape is changing rapidly. Most scientists agree that the warming in recent decades has been caused primarily by human activities that have increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases, such as CO2, have increased markedly since the Industrial Revolution, mostly from the burning of fossil fuels for energy, industrial processes, and transportation. According to the National Academy of Sciences, CO2 levels are at their highest in at least 650,000 years and continue to rise.
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