Electricity is generated mainly by combustion of coal and natural gas. Natural gas use has increased, but not as much as coal in developing countries; both remain inexpensive means to energy production. Carbon based electricity generation will be the major source of emissions for the next century. If carbon capture and storage (CCS) can be implemented on a large scale over the next several decades, it may be possible to maintain some use of carbon fuels for electricity and allow time for the transition to non-carbon energy sources. Obstacles to deployment of CCS are the cost and energy associated with capture, and public acceptance of uncertainties associated with large-scale subsurface injection of supercritical CO2. Research on capture technologies shows promise for reducing costs and energy penalties. New capture materials are addressing the need for efficient selective capture of CO2 with minimal energy for regeneration, but scalability and lifetime have yet to be demonstrated. Alternative combustion technologies could simplify capture, but await further development and a new generation of power plants. Subsurface science is removing risks by advancing understanding of CO2 trapping processes, and developing new computational tools to predict system performance for 1000+ years.

Basic research for carbon capture and storage (CCS)

251st National Meeting (2016)

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