U.S. Carbon Capture Program Inadequate, MIT Report Says

A new MIT study suggests preparing for a carbon-constrained future by investing in carbon capture and sequestration.

A new interdisciplinary study carried out by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) scientists and engineers finds that the U.S. Department of Energy program to develop “carbon capture and sequestration” (CCS) is not advancing this technology as quickly as it is needed. CCS involves capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from large point sources, such as power plants, and subsequently storing it in geological formations, deep oceans, or in the form of mineral carbonates.

The MIT study, The Future of Coal, was conducted to identify the best way to balance the likelihood of rising coal use with the need to reduce carbon emissions. Both industrialized and developing countries need to promote CCS, but the United States should lead the way, the report concludes. It recommends that the U.S. government develop 3–5 sequestration projects with the aim of injecting 1 million metric tons of CO2 per year, to prepare the public and industry for a future of constrained carbon emissions.

Speaking at the report’s launch last Thursday, study group co-chair and former CIA Director John Deutch noted that a key assumption of the study is the adoption of a $25-per-ton tax on CO2 emissions starting in 2015, which would increase thereafter at a rate of 4 percent annually. Such a regulation would stimulate a shift to less carbon-intensive fuels, promote the development of cleaner technologies, and lead to a potential stabilization of emissions by mid-century, he concluded.

The study’s authors are critical of the Department of Energy’s CCS program for its focus on research rather than large-scale demonstration projects, which they believe are needed to accelerate development of commercial CCS. “The DOE Clean Coal program is not on a path to address our priority recommendations because the level of funding falls far short of what is required,” they write.

The report concludes that government leadership is critical both to demonstrate the practicality of CCS technology and to facilitate a smooth transition to a carbon-constrained economy. It points out that retrofitting conventional coal plants with the technology will be prohibitively expensive and that developers are likely to shirk away from building new CCS-equipped plants until regulations require it.

Energy experts with the Worldwatch Institute note that top U.S. climate scientist James Hansen recently called for a 60–80 percent reduction in carbon emissions in the next few decades, which would preclude significant expansion of coal-based power generation unless it includes CCS. Hansen has also called for an immediate ban on the construction of uncontrolled coal-fired plants.

“Putting a price on carbon and outlawing carbon-emitting power plants is the best way to put CCS technology to the commercial test,” says Worldwatch President Christopher Flavin. “It remains to be seen whether CCS can compete with carbon-free wind, solar, and geothermal power plants, not to mention improved efficiency. The best way to find out is to make sure that those who produce power from carbon-emitting power plants pay the full environmental cost.”

This story was produced by Eye on Earth, a joint project of the Worldwatch Institute and the blue moon fund. View the complete archive of Eye on Earth stories, or contact Staff Writer Alana Herro at aherro [AT] worldwatch [DOT] org with your questions, comments, and story ideas.