Technologies to Reduce or Capture and Store Carbon Dioxide Emissions

04 executive summary
Figure ES-2
New Technology Development Curve for Coal 3
Figure ES-2 depicts the relative developmental state
of the major advanced coal and CCS technologies.
This topic is explored further in Section 6.
Here and Now
C O mitigation technologies that are commercially
2
feasible today are based on efficiency gains that
can be achieved at existing plants and built into
new plants. For existing plants, several technologies
are available that can be retrofitted. In May 2001,
the National Coal Council produced a report at the
request of then-Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson
(submitted to his successor, Secretary Spencer
Abraham), which identified technologies that at that
time could increase the amount of electricity from
the existing fleet of coal plants by 40,000 MW. The
approach set forth in those recommendations remains
viable today although many of those opportunities
may have already been implemented. To some extent,
those strategies will also result in corresponding
reductions in CO 2
production. While the 2001 study
did not specifically address carbon emissions, and not
every unit is a good candidate for every technology,
the potential energy savings at a given plant can range
as high as 10 to 12 percent, with typical efficiency
opportunities that are perhaps half that level. A 5
percent improvement in the efficiency of the overall
coal fleet would equate to about 100 million metric
tons per year of reduced CO 2
emissions.
These efficiency gains can be made at various
points within these plants. They include steam
turbine blade upgrades, improvements in condenser
systems and boiler feed water systems, and in the
milling systems used to grind the coal. In addition,
the use of coal cleaned to higher quality levels can
3
Various PowerPoint presentations, EPRI, April 2007.