COVERITLIVE.COM

2:05

We’re here live at the American Conference Institute’s Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) Summit.

Mark Taylor, lead analyst for CCS for New Energy Finance just completed a presentation evaluating the global outlook and new directions for the CCS industry. ACCCE is proudly sponsoring this event with the belief that real world solutions can be found that advance clean coal technologies while keeping electricity affordable.

Taylor stressed the need for demonstration projects to be built with pre-commercial carbon capture and storage technology so that it can be later adapted at the commercial scale.

We asked him about the process of deploying new CCS technologies and why the transition from the demonstration phase to commercial scale is so important. Check out our video interview to see what he had to say.

Have questions about CCS or the Summit? We’re blogging and answering your questions live from the event. Simply type your question below and hit enter to join the conversation!

NOTE: Questions and comments are moderated for content and language.

2:58	Katrina from Queensland asks whether there is a concerted and coordinated effort to bring the educational up to speed on this topic [CCS].

3:02

In short, there isn't an organized effort. University of Arizona associate professor Sean Dessureault, PhD in the department of mining and geological engineering had this to say: “We are teaching a little bit of CCS in schools...certainly the funding helps because teachers and professors get expertise in whatever is being funded, so they end up teaching classes in those areas. The high funding of CCS will end up having more professors who can teach classes on CCS. There are so many complexities to CCS—electrical engineers, chemical engineers…it can't be taught by just one dept so that adds complexity to how difficult it is to teach."

We should also note that our team saw students and teachers in action at the 2009 Research Experience in Carbon Sequestration (RECS) in New Mexico this past July. You can see some of our footage from that program on our Balanced Energy YouTube channel.

3:33

Has your industry taken a serious look at processes which can turn co2 into polycarbonate plastic, drywall, and fertilizer?
For captured CO2, we see all options as being on the table. There have been discussions about CO2 being stored in cement and other materials, and we also know that CO2 can be used to grow algae (that can then be used to make bio-fuels). There are lots of opportunities here for those with an entrepreneurial spirit. That said, because of the volume of CO2 that will ultimately be captured (and despite what could be a plethora of beneficial uses) experts agree that most of the captured CO2 will need to be safely stored deep underground to ensure that it does not leak or escape into the atmosphere.

3:36

Would there be interest in a CCS Alliance for public awareness? And if so what companies? Millenium SynthFuels has interest spearheading this project.
There are already several programs engaged in increasing the public’s awareness on carbon capture and storage issues. To some extent, our America’s Power campaign helps to broadly inform the public on issues related to the future uses of coal – including how the use of advanced technologies to capture and store CO2 will make sure that we can still rely on coal for affordable, reliable energy even as we take steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Also, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Carbon Sequestration Partnership (a partnership between the federal government, private industry, and academia) is also promoting this type of outreach to stakeholders.

3:54

West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin III spoke here today about West Virginia’s role as a coal producing state in the face of today’s energy challenges. Gov. Manchin outlined some of the effects of proposed federal climate change legislation on West Virginia, as well as efforts that his state is undertaking to be a leader in this debate. Gov. Manchin specifically mentioned AEP’s Mountaineer plant in West Virginia.

“We’re the first (state) to permit a 660MW plant,” Manchin told the packed room. “We’re very thankful that AEP is moving forward on the Mountaineer Plant.”

West Virginia is 99% dependent upon coal for its energy portfolio, and is one of the biggest coal producing states in the country.

The Governor also touched on several other energy related subjects, including coal usage in China and additional steps necessary to continue meeting America’s energy needs.

We caught up with him in the hall right after his presentation and he highlighted some of the many benefits from clean coal projects happening right now in West Virginia.

More to come!

4:25	Why is it that CO2 is so heavily examined rather than the CO? We posed your question to Mark Taylor of New Energy Research. Check out this video to hear the answer.

4:31

@MSYNTHFUELS asks is there research and development for CCS to demonstrate the viability and immense benefits of CCS in America? Is there funding available for it? If so from whom?
Today, there are a number of ongoing field demonstrations looking at various technology options that could work with the diverse array of different coal-based power plants that make up the current generating fleet.

With the right investments in technology, we can continue to pursue even lower emissions profiles for coal-based power plants (including the capture and storage of CO2) and keep energy costs affordable for the American consumer.

But there are always risks involved in bringing new technologies to the marketplace. In many cases, we’re talking about first-of-their-kind, first-of-their-scale technologies. By having the federal government share the financial responsibilities with companies that are funding these technology demonstrations, we’re insulating consumers from bearing 100 percent of the risk of those technology advancements.

In the 1980s, Congress invested in what was called the Clean Coal Technology Demonstration program. The federal government invested $5 billion and private industry invested nearly $7 billion. This technology partnership led to important clean coal technology: scrubbers, selective catalytic converters, low-NOx burners and integrated gasification combined cycle units.

As a result of these new technologies, we’ve made unprecedented progress in reducing pollution, increased the use of domestic energy resources to meet growing energy demand and kept energy costs affordable for the consumer.

5:58

Dr. Greg Kunkel of Tenaska Inc. has wrapped up his presentation on developing utility scale carbon capture and sequestration projects. Dr. Kunkel highlighted two projects specifically, the Taylorville Energy Center in central Illinois and the Trailblazer Energy Center in Texas.

We caught up with Dr. Kunkel earlier this year when we were on the road with the 2009 Factuality Tour.

A 3.5 billion dollar project, Taylorville will create 1,500 hundred jobs during the 3-4 year construction period, scheduled to begin in 2010. The Taylorville project, a 500-525MW power plant, will use advanced Hybrid Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle to make it one of the cleanest coal-based power plants in the world.

Trailblazer, a 765MW plant, will be fueled by low-sulfur coal, will capture carbon dioxide (CO2), and provide for its geologic storage.

That’s it for now from the Summit. Check back here tomorrow for more live updates and to ask your questions in real-time. And, if you think of a question before we start back up tomorrow, just email it to us at ask@americaspower.org and we'll post an answer tomorrow.

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