The Future of Clean Thermal Technologies: Technology Developments, Key Costs and the Future Outlook
Scripp Business Insights, October 2009, Pages: 125
Thermal power plants burning fossil fuels produce 50% of the electricity generated worldwide, but are a major source of CO2. As such, the energy industry will need to develop technology to capture and store emissions from power plants if it is to continue to flourish. Provided that this can be achieved, fossil fuel combustion should be capable of supplying electricity well into this century.
This report examines the different thermal power generation techniques and the legislation that will affect the industry in the future, as well as the technologies being developed to reduce the impact of CO2 released from thermal plants into the atmosphere.
Scope
- Information about the conventional coal combustion industry and the technology available and in development to limit its CO2 emissions.
- Details of the anticipated next-generation coal technologies that may offer advantages for future near-zero emission plants.
- Analysis of the natural-gas fired power generation sector and the methods used to reduce its environmental impact.
- Discussion of how the sequestration of carbon is to be handled.
- Breakdown of the environmental and legislative issues that will affect fossil fuel power stations in the future.
Highlights
- Coal is the most important source of electricity in the world today and according to most assessments its use will continue to grow over the next two decades, particularly within the developed world. Modern technology has improved the efficiency of such plants significantly and further advances are expected.
- The best method available today for post-combustion carbon capture is chemical absorption. This utilizes a spray tower similar to that used for sulfur dioxide scrubbing. The flue gases pass up through the tower and a solution of the chemical absorbent is sprayed into its path where it absorbs the CO2 and removes it.
- Under a cap-and-trade system, generators can recoup the value of the carbon they sequester by selling certificates that they no longer need. The significance of this will depend on the cost of carbon, and the predicted value of this resource by the time carbon capture and sequestration become commercially feasible remains a matter of speculation.
Reasons to purchase
- Assess the economics of power generation using coal and natural gas.
- Review the predicted emission levels per market sector for 2030.
- Discover the various emission control strategies that will be necessary if thermal plants are to continue to operate.
- Analyze the expected impact of environmentalism on the industry's growth over the coming decades.
- Examine how the market for thermal power plants is likely to develop over the next twenty years.
Executive summary
Introduction
Conventional coal-burning technologies
Advanced and zero-emission coal burning technologies
Gas burning power generation technologies
Carbon sequestration
Environmental and legislative issues
The economics of clean thermal technologies
The future of clean thermal technologies
Chapter 1 Introduction
Summary
The power sector and global warming
The report
Chapter 2 Conventional coal burning
technologies
Introduction
Coal-fired power generation
Pulverized coal power plants
Fluidized bed power plants
Emission control
Dust and particulate material
Sulfur dioxide
Mercury
Nitrogen oxides
CO2
Emission limits
Chapter 3 Advanced and zero emission coal
burning technologies
Introduction
Pre-combustion capture
Integrated gasification combined cycle
Oxyfuel combustion
Retrofitting and capture ready plants
Effects of carbon capture on plant performance
Chapter 4 Gas burning power generation
technologies
Introduction
Generating power from natural gas
Gas-fired boilers
Gas reciprocating engines
Gas turbines
Combined cycle power plants
Advanced gas turbine cycles
Micro turbines
Fuel cells
Gas turbine emission control
Carbon monoxide
Unburned hydrocarbons
Particulate material
Sulfur dioxide and sulfur trioxide
Nitrogen oxides
Carbon capture
Chapter 5 Carbon sequestration
Introduction
The size of the problem
CO2 transportation
Carbon sequestration
Geological sequestration
Ocean sequestration
Risks
Monitoring and legislative issues
Chapter 6 Environmental and legislative
issues
Introduction
Emissions and emission limits
Carbon emissions
Cap-and-trade systems
Monitoring
Legislative issues associated with carbon sequestration
Chapter 7 Future outlook
Introduction
Capital costs of thermal power plants
The levelized cost of electricity
The cost of carbon
Chapter 8 The prospects for clean thermal
technologies
Introduction
The growth in fossil fuel for power generation
The competitiveness of thermal power generation
Market opportunities
Index
List of Figures
Figure 1.1: CO2 emissions by sector (GtCO2/y), 2005 and 2030
Figure 2.2: Coal-fired power generation in the OECD and non-OECD (TWh), 2006-2030
Figure 3.3: Efficiency of coal-fired plants with carbon capture (%)
Figure 4.4: Global power generation base on natural gas (TWh), 2006-2030
Figure 4.5: Gas-fired power plant efficiencies (%)
Figure 4.6: Typical gas turbine pollutant emissions (ppmV)
Figure 5.7: National power plant CO2 intensity (kgCO2/MWh)
Figure 5.8: Cost of transportation of CO2 by pipeline and sea ($/tCO2)
Figure 5.9: Potential global underground storage capacities (Gt CO2)
Figure 6.10: World Bank guidelines for emissions from power plants
Figure 6.11: Acid gas emissions in the CAIR region of the US (million tonnes), 1990-2030
Figure 7.12: Installed cost of thermal power generating capacity in the US (2007 $/kW)
Figure 7.13: Lazard capital cost comparison for thermal power generating capacity ($/kW)
Figure 7.14: Capital cost of adding flue gas cleanup to US coal-fired power plants ($/kW)
Figure 7.15: The predicted cost of a carbon capture and storage demonstration project in China (€m)
Figure 7.16: Levelized cost of electricity for new capacity entering service in the US in 2 ($/MWh)
Figure 7.17: Levelized cost in Nominal 2009$ of electricity from thermal power plants in California entering service in 2009 ($/MWh)
Figure 7.18: Levelized cost in Nominal 2018$ of electricity from thermal power plants in California entering service in 2018 ($/MWh)
Figure 7.19: Levelized cost of electricity from coal-fired power plants in the UK (£/MWh)
Figure 8.20: Proportion of global electricity generated by thermal power plants (%), 2006-2030
Figure 8.21: Global power generation based on coal and natural gas (TWh), 2006-2030
Figure 8.22: Global coal-fired generating capacity (GW), 2006-2030
Figure 8.23: Global natural gas-fired generating capacity (GW), 2006-2030
Figure 8.24: Global power generation growth to 2030 under the IEA's 450 scenario (GW)
Figure 8.25: Levelized cost comparison between thermal, nuclear and alternative technologies entering service in 2016 ($/MWh)
Figure 8.26: Levelized cost comparison for generating capacity in California ($/MWh)
Figure 8.27: Key thermal power plant and emission control market drivers and resistors
List of Tables
Table 1.1: CO2 emissions by sector (GtCO2/y), 2005 and 2030
Table 2.2: Coal-fired power generation in the OECD and non-OECD (TWh), 2006-2030
Table 2.3: Typical pulverized coal fired power plant operating conditions and efficiency
Table 2.4: Comparison of wet and dry FGD
Table 3.5: Efficiency of coal-fired plants with carbon capture (%)
Table 4.6: Global power generation base on natural gas (TWh), 2006-2030
Table 4.7: Gas-fired power plant efficiencies (%)
Table 4.8: Typical gas turbine pollutant emissions (ppmV)
Table 5.9: National power plant CO2 emissions from ten largest emitters
Table 5.10: Cost of transportation of CO2 by pipeline and sea ($/tCO2)
Table 5.11: Potential global underground storage capacities (Gt CO2)
Table 6.12: Typical daily production from a 500MW coal-fired power plant
Table 6.13: Acid gas emissions in the CAIR region of the US (million tonnes), 1990-2030
Table 6.14: EU guidelines for power plant emissions
Table 7.15: Installed cost of thermal power generating capacity in the US (2007 $/kW)
Table 7.16: Lazard capital cost comparison for thermal power generating capacity ($/kW)
Table 7.17: Capital cost of adding flue gas cleanup to US coal-fired power plants ($/kW)
Table 7.18: The predicted cost of a carbon capture and storage demonstration project in China (€m)
Table 7.19: Levelized cost of electricity for new capacity entering service in the US in 2 ($/MWh)
Table 7.20: Levelized cost in Nominal 2009$ of electricity from thermal power plants in California entering service in 2009 ($/MWh)
Table 7.21: Levelized cost in Nominal 2018$ of electricity from thermal power plants in California entering service in 2018 ($/MWh)
Table 7.22: Levelized cost of electricity from coal-fired power plants in the UK (£/MWh)
Table 8.23: Proportion of global electricity generated by thermal power plants (%), 2006-2030
Table 8.24: Global power generation based on coal and natural gas (TWh), 2006-2030
Table 8.25: Global coal-fired generating capacity (GW), 2006-2030
Table 8.26: Global natural gas-fired generating capacity (GW), 2006-2030
Table 8.27: Global power generation growth to 2030 under the IEA's 450 scenario (GW)
Table 8.28: Levelized cost comparison between thermal, nuclear and alternative technologies entering service in 2016 ($/MWh)
Table 8.29: Levelized cost comparison for generating capacity in California ($/MWh)
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