Carbon Capture and Storage: Technologies, Policies, Economics, and Implementation Strategies

摘要

The global energy system is large and complex, and any plan to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) must overcome its massive inertia to produce and consume fossil fuels. One important technology that has the potential of achieving substantial reductions in carbon dioxide emissions is carbon capture and storage (CCS), which consists of three subsystems: carbon dioxide capture, transportation, and geological storage. It is, however, not sufficient to have a feasible technical solution; it is also necessary to have the right economic incentives and enough political will. According to the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC), CCS is one of the keys to any economically feasible decrease in GHG emissions for two reasons. First, the intensity of carbon dioxide emissions in the fossil fuel cycle is increasing due to the increasing share of unconventional fossil fuels. Second, carbon dioxide release is unavoidable in many industries such as cement, iron and steel, all of which are fundamental to economic development.