New tech solutions are imperative for decarbonisation

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Scenarios of global warming have projected a rise in global temperature up to 2-4 degree celsius by 2050 due to increasing CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere, if no action is taken to mitigate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and stabilise GHG concentration at 450 ppm CO2 equivalent. Among the various fossil fuel sources of energy, a scientific and technology challenge from coal-based power generation is to capture carbon dioxide from the flue gas of power plants and fixing it away from the atmosphere. Early deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is being considered as a possible way out for mitigating CO2 emissions.

By 2050. Its potential to reduce CO2 emissions is second to the contribution of efficiency improvement in energy technology and first carbon capture ready plant is expected to become operational in next 4-5 years, instead of 2020 as anticipated earlier.

It is inspiring to note that research in CCS has grown by almost 100% in the past five years as compared to first five years of the current decade. Major economies of the world have introduced new policy decisions to accelerate developments towards reducing coal-based CO2 emissions from thermal power generation.

The FutureGen was conceived at the initiative of Department of Energy, USA. It is a coal gasification power plant of 275 mw capacity expected to be ready by 2012. As an international research initiative, FutureGen is an industry alliance partnership to build a first-of-its-kind coal-fuelled power plant in which almost 90% CO2 for the gasification product will be captured and sequestered. The effectiveness, safety and permanence of CO2 sequestration will be tested in the long run. Countries like India, China and Korea have evinced interest in this research project.

The Australian Zero Gen Mark II is another demo plant of 80 mw capacities to be ready by 2012. It is planned to capture up to 70 % of CO2 and sequester it in deep underground reservoir in the Northern Denison Trough. The success of the demonstration plant would establish the construction of a full-scale power plant.