DOE to Award Up to $55 Million in Funding to Develop Advanced Carbon Capture Technology at Existing Coal-Fired Power Plants
14 October 2009
The US Department of Energy (DOE) will make up to $55 million available to develop advanced technologies that can capture carbon dioxide from flue gases at existing power plants so that the greenhouse gas may be sequestered or put to beneficial use.
Energy Secretary Chu sent a letter this week to world energy ministers and other scientific leaders calling for an aggressive global effort to advance carbon capture and sequestration technology to the point where widespread, affordable deployment can begin in 8 to 10 years. (Earlier post.) The funding announced today will support the development of technologies that can remove 90% of the CO2 in a flue gas stream at no more than a 35% increase in the cost of electricity.
The funding opportunity is seeking applications for bench- and pilot-scale projects in four areas of interest: membranes, solvents, solid sorbents, and condensed-phase capture. The solicitation is specifically focused on advanced technologies for post-combustion CO2 capture and purification that can be retrofitted to existing pulverized coal power plants.
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It's all about the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
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Posted by: The Goracle | 14 October 2009 at 07:12 PM
It does take money to advance better ways of using energy more wisely. I think pointing that out is just stating the obvious.
Posted by: SJC | 14 October 2009 at 07:30 PM
Buy small CANDU 600 power plants modified to burn the used fuel rods from conventional US reactors. There is far more than enough fuel value remaining. CANDU reactors do burn unenriched uraniun uranium now. Every one or two conventional reactors gets a CANDU 600 and a fuel rebuilding plant. This only involves building short CANDU fuel assemblies from long US ones. It does not need to involve any chemical processing.
Every human has been so radio-active already that the cells have evolved methods to deal with it. Every food eaten has always introduced more radio activity in all plants and animals. For many centuries some people have lived with many times the radio-activity that most people in the US experience. Use the heat from the nuclear power to capture CO2 and add water to make methanol. ..HG..
Posted by: Henry Gibson | 17 October 2009 at 01:01 AM