EnergyBiz - November/December 2007 - (Page 23)

The scientist Getting coal right MIT STUDY C A LL S fOR QUICk ACTION BY M A RTIN ROSENBERG even as concerns mount about the contribution of greenhouse gas emissions to global warming. The federal government should help coordinate development of the technologies needed to capture and store carbon dioxide underground. Large-scale testing should begin immediately. So says a prestigious report released this spring by an interdisciplinary faculty group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The report, “The future of Coal – Options for a Carbon-Constrained World,” calls for the United States to assume global leadership in developing new technologies for coal that will reshape the global power industry. In a press release accompanying the report’s release, the authors claimed, “The regulatory regime for large-scale commercial sequestration should be developed with a greater sense of urgency, with the executive office of the president leading an interagency process.” MIT has long been recognized as one of the world’s preeminent research and technology educational institutions. After the report was released, some of its principal authors appeared before Congress, and many of their suggestions were incorporated into legislative proposals. EnergyBiz recently traveled to Cambridge, Mass. and sat down with Howard J. Herzog, principal research engineer at MIT’s laboratory for energy and the environment and one of the report’s authors to discuss the report and its implications. Herzog has been at MIT since 1989. Describe the coal study. It was about a two-year study. We had 13 principle investigators looking at different aspects of the issue. We were looking at what coal would look like in 2050, assuming we will live in a carbon-constrained world by then, and what actions we need to take today to ensure or to affect that future. ENERGYBIZ HEr zog ENERGYBIZ What would you say are some of the key conclusions that came out of it? HEr zog The way we burn coal today is not compatible with a carbon-constrained world, and we need new technologies to burn coal cleaner in the future. We’re falling far short of the level of investments we need to do today in order for coal to play a major role. ENERGYBIZ Coal will remain a vital energy resource a year. I’ve seen estimates of the need being at $1 billion HEr zog Yes, that’s the right order of magnitude. We were looking at an eight-to-ten year period. What will that get us? A lot of that money is going toward how to burn coal without CO2 emissions, so a lot of that is capture and storage of the CO2 . Some of it is improved fundamental technologies such as gasification. ENERGYBIZ HEr zog ENERGYBIZ Long-term will we still be getting half of our electricity from burning coal? HEr zog If you do not see nuclear as growing significantly beyond where it is today, then the answer would be yes on coal. We see base load electricity in this country as coming primarily from coal or nuclear in 2050. Renewable energy – wind, solar, hydroelectric, gas – will make up 30 to 40 percent of the total. ENERGYBIZ As for dealing with carbon dioxide, is geologic sequestration the way to go? Is there enough space? HEr zog There’s some uncertainty there. That’s one thing we all need to understand a little better. There’s more than enough space for hundreds of years. Look at all the gas we’ve taken out of the earth. There’s a lot of space there. But is that pore space accessible, usable to keep the CO2 in the ground? That needs to be addressed. ENERGYBIZ Some propose using algae to interact with carbon dioxide to create an oil substitute. HEr zog We did a research needs assessment for the Department of Energy in 1992 and we were not optimistic about that technology. Nothing that’s happened since has changed my mind. ENERGYBIZ So injecting in the ground is probably the way it’s going to be done? HEr zog I don’t see any good alternative at this point. Some people were looking at other alternatives, but none of them is ready for prime time. ENERGYBIZ CEOs of utilities say we’ve got to get moving on sequestration. Who is going to orchestrate this effort? Specifically, the unit will identify ways to integrate these resources in all aspects of the design, operation, rates, pricing and planning of electric markets, transmission infrastructure and natural gas transmission. It will do this through participation in docketed case work, rulemakings, technical conferences and outreach. The unit will also monitor implementation of reliability standards and regional transmission planning, and identify and coordinate opportunities to implement best practices across regions, recognizing regional differences. The sector will take the lead in participating in the effort to implement protocols for measuring, verifying and forecasting the performance of demand resources. It will monitor emerging technologies related to planning and operation of an economic and efficient grid and markets and assess potential impacts and benefits, and advise the commission on regulatory issues related to development. The unit will also serve as liaison on issues relevant to energy sector innovations, including state clean energy initiatives, state renewable portfolio standards, and implementation of emissions credits and trading, greenhouse gas emissions issues, carbon tracking, renewable credit tracking, and climate change initiatives. Suedeen Kelly is a member of the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. www.energycentral.com E n E rgyB i z 23 http://www.energycentral.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of EnergyBiz - November/December 2007

EnergyBiz - November/December 2007 Contents Continental Grid Vision Needed Readers’ Views and Opinions Next for National Grid Clearing the Air The Need for Nuclear Energy Trade Status Report The Innovators California On The Leading Edge FERC Sparks Change Getting Coal Right Leadership in Times of Turmoil Innovation Delivers Return A Tale of Two IPOs LNGs Bright Prospects Generation Techologies The Age of Superconductors Leaders with Vision Get Ready for Plug-in Hybrids Betting on Batteries Cost of Decarbonizing Nuclear Helmsman – A chat with Dale Klein, Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Global Energy Snapshot; Low-Income Energy Help; IT Spending Robust; The Greening of State Regulators; Generating Support Simplifying Offshore Wind Regs Chasing Construction Costs Energy Agency Sets New Course Deregulation Means Higher Rates Go-To Staffer Nightmare in Manhatten

EnergyBiz - November/December 2007

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