DOE Fossil Energy Newsalert

The Department of Energy has announced that it will provide $36 million for 15 projects aimed at furthering the development of new and cost-effective technologies for the capture of carbon dioxide from the existing fleet of coal-fired power plants. For more details, link to the Energy Department's Fossil Energy Web site at: http://www.fossil.energy.gov/

Clean Air Task Force Director Comments on FutureGen

Statement of John Thompson, Clean Air Task Force Director of Coal Transition Project, on DOE Secretary Bodman’s Decision Not To Fund FutureGen

“It is short-sighted for the Bush Administration to retreat on FutureGen now. This project is important because it would be among the first power plants in the nation to capture large quantities of carbon dioxide. By mid-century, virtually all the nation’s coal, oil and natural gas fueled power plants must capture carbon dioxide if we’re to prevent global warming. President Bush needs to stick by what he started.

This unfortunate decision makes it more important than ever that the Midwest’s other proposed clean coal plants move forward and become “NowGen” projects that capture a portion of their carbon dioxide.

Two large proposed 630 MW commercial coal plants—one near Edwardsport, Indiana and one near Taylorville, Illinois— will use similar gasification technology as FutureGen. Neither plant has firm carbon capture plans, but with support from the states of Illinois and Indiana, both of these plants could capture 20% of their carbon emissions and remain economically competitive.

By building a plant like FutureGen that captures 90% of its carbon dioxide emissions, and flanking it with two commercial-sized plants that capture 20% carbon dioxide, it would be possible to create a trio of plants that could truly change the path of coal world-wide.

Indiana economic regulators gave the Duke Edwardsport plant permission to build in November 2007. As part of the decision, Duke must return with plans for studies to capture and store 20% carbon dioxide within 6 months. Last week, the plant received its air permit.

Yesterday, the USEPA’s Environmental Appeals Board finalized the air permit for the Taylorville, Illinois plant. Legislation enabling Taylorville to move forward with construction unanimously passed the Illinois Senate. The company now needs action from the Illinois House to facilitate construction. The legislature should move forward with this legislation, and also include provisions to fund partial carbon capture.”

About the Clean Air Task Force
The Clean Air Task Force is a national environmental organization that is dedicated to restoring clean air through scientific research, public education, and legal advocacy. The Clean Air Task Force is comprised of twenty professionals with backgrounds in science, engineering, law, economics and public outreach headquartered in Boston but located throughout the United States. CATF is recognized as one of the nation’s leading environmental organizations addressing air quality and atmospheric protection issues, and its work is widely respected in government and industry. For more information about the Clean Air Task Force, see http://www.catf.us/.

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Business Wire

clean coal

FutureGen Scrapped

On Wednesday the DOE announced a restructuring of the FutureGen project. The initial goal of the project is to demonstrate cutting-edge carbon capture and storage technology in order to advance clean coal power plants. Last year the Department of Energy agreed to spend $950 million to develop the project with FutureGen Alliance, a coalition of coal and oil companies. But this week's announcement cancelled this agreement and issued a new direction requesting a 2009 budget of $648 million for clean coal research.

According to Deputy Secretary Clay Sell, a projected increase of $1.8 billion in the original plan was the reason for the restructuring. The new plan "protects the government's exposure and ensures that it is financially and politically viable," stated Sell.

For the FutureGen Alliance this was a disappointing outcome, as they had lobbied hard for the project demonstration site to be located in Illinois.

According to the Associated Press, Wyoming Gov. Freudenthal, "It's kind of like they invited all of us to go to the prom, picked the date, and then canceled the dance. It seems to me - the absurdity of it - it could only be the federal government that would do this."

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DOE - Fossil Energy Techline
The Wall Street Journal - Environmental Capital
C/Net - Green Tech Blog

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How selective catalytic reduction reduces NOx emissions from coal fired power plants, lean burn engines and gas turbines.

clean coal

What About Carbon Sequestration?

The Future of Carbon Sequestration is a new report issued by Dublin’s Research and Markets, an international market research and market data firm, offering an overview of the opportunities for carbon sequestration to reduce GHG emissions.

Based on information from a variety of sources such as the Energy Information Administration, the Department of Energy, and the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the report covers the following topics:

- Overview of the climate change debate
- Explanation of the global carbon cycle
- Discussion of the concept of carbon sequestration
- Review of current efforts to implement carbon sequestration
- Analysis and comparison of carbon sequestration component technologies
- Review of the economic drivers of carbon sequestration project success
- Discussion of the key government and industry initiatives supporting carbon sequestration

According to Research and Markets, “The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) forecasts that up to 40% of the world's fossil fuel emissions could be captured and sequestered by 2050. The IPCC says that if carbon sequestration were exploited via hundreds of thousands of storage sites around the world, it could make up to 55% of projected cuts in greenhouse gas emissions needed to offset climate change by 2100. However, the price of CO2 needs to be $25 to $30 a ton to make carbon capture technologies commercially viable.

“This forecast has many organizations taking a significant interest in carbon sequestration. Much of this interest is based on a simple premise - the world will continue to depend on fossil fuels for the foreseeable future. This means capturing and sequestering carbon is seen as one of the most viable approaches to tackling global warming.”

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Research and Markets: The Future of Carbon Sequestration

Environmental, Community Groups Announce Important Energy Agreement with Major Utility

Sierra Club, Kansas City Power & Light and Concerned Citizens of Platte County Put Forward Agreement to Reduce Emissions, Spur Clean Energy Development

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- March 20, 2007--In a groundbreaking agreement that can serve as a model for environmental groups and utilities working together, the Sierra Club, Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L), and the Concerned Citizens of Platte County (CCPC) have agreed on a set of initiatives to offset carbon dioxide (CO2) and reduce other emissions for the Kansas City-based utility. Under the agreement announced today, KCP&L agrees to pursue offsets for all of the global warming emissions associated with its new plant through significant investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy, and cut pollution from its existing plants in order to improve air quality in the Greater Kansas City metro area. The agreement proposes other investments in clean energy, significant decreases in emissions and resolves four appeals pending between the Sierra Club, CCPC, and KCP&L. Full implementation of the terms of the agreement will necessitate approval from the appropriate authorities, as some of the initiatives in this agreement require either enabling legislative policy or regulatory approval.

“We believe there is significant potential through new energy technology and innovative approaches to improve the environment and offer additional value to our customers across the Kansas City region. This is especially true with energy efficiency and wind generation, which we have been implementing already through our Comprehensive Energy Plan developed in 2005,” said Mike Chesser, Chairman and CEO of Great Plains Energy. “We look forward to collaborating with the Sierra Club and other stakeholders as we pursue these exciting new opportunities.”

“This agreement is a win for our climate, for the environment, and for the residents of the Kansas City area,” said Carl Pope, Sierra Club Executive Director. “It is the latest sign that smart energy solutions like wind power and energy efficiency are gathering steam. We look forward to working with KCP&L to help the Midwest realize its full potential as a leader in the clean energy technologies that will fuel the economy of tomorrow.”

The most significant element of the agreement is the unprecedented commitment by KCP&L to pursue the offset of carbon emissions from its proposed Iatan 2 generating station, located near Weston, Missouri. The estimated 6,000,000 tons of annual carbon dioxide emissions are targeted to be offset by adding 400 megawatts (MW) of wind power; 300 MW of energy efficiency; and a yet to be determined combination of wind, efficiency, or the closing, altering, re-powering or efficiency improvements at any of its generating units. These proposed offsets will be partially implemented by 2010 and fully implemented by 2012. The parties are also agreeing to work together on a series of regulatory and legislative initiatives to achieve an overall reduction in KCP&L’s carbon dioxide emissions of 20 percent by 2020.

“This agreement shows that we can work together to curb air pollution, combat global warming, and protect our local communities,” said Susan Brown, chairperson for Concerned Citizens of Platte County. “The renewable energy investments in this agreement can revitalize the region’s manufacturing economy and offer rural landowners a new source of steady income from wind turbines located on their property. The large investment in energy efficiency will also help everyone use less energy — reducing emissions and saving consumers and businesses money each month.”

In addition to offsetting its global warming emissions, residents of the Kansas City area will benefit from reduced emissions of criteria pollutants at KCP&L’s existing Iatan 1 and La Cygne plants. The agreement calls for annual reductions in nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter estimated to total some 9,100 tons. Within the next year, KCP&L will also work with the Sierra Club to study options, including retiring, re-powering or upgrading its Montrose power plant. Finally, KCP&L will fund several community projects including: recommendations of the Kansas City Climate Protection Committee targeting global warming reduction measures; additional monitoring of soot and smog pollution in the metro area; and an upgrade to the drinking water infrastructure in Weston, a community near the Iatan station.

In another important step for clean energy, KCP&L will also file for approval of a net metering program within six months. Net metering allows a utility’s customers to generate small amounts of renewable energy on-site, such as from rooftop solar panels or a small wind turbine, and sell any excess energy back to the utility.

KCP&L’s Comprehensive Energy Plan was collaboratively constructed with a broad group of stakeholders and includes investments in new generation (including renewable wind energy); innovative efficiency, affordability and demand response programs; infrastructure improvements; and proactive environmental investments. This balanced approach will enable KCP&L to satisfy growing energy demands across the region for years to come while improving environmental stewardship.

“KCP&L’s current Comprehensive Energy Plan addresses the energy needs and emissions reductions for the Kansas City region with actions into the year 2010. This Agreement is the start of the next set of discussions with stakeholders as we develop our plans for the 2010-2015 timeframe,” said Bill Downey, President and CEO of KCP&L. “It reflects the ongoing atmosphere of collaboration we established in developing the CEP, and proactively resolves differences. We look forward to working with all stakeholders to secure a long-term energy supply for Kansas City while improving air quality.”

This agreement builds on the success of a 2006 agreement that Sierra Club brokered with City Water Light and Power of Springfield, IL. That agreement stipulated that the municipal utility retire one of the dirtiest coal plants in the nation, purchase 120 MW of wind, invest four million dollars in energy efficiency, and significantly decrease emissions of soot, smog and mercury pollution. In addition, all of the government buildings owned by the state of Illinois are to be powered with green electricity. Last week, CWLP announced that it stands to at least break even and may reap significant profits from its purchase and resale the wind power investments required in their agreement.

“We were and continue to be very pleased with the agreement we reached in Springfield,” commented Pope. “Our exciting new agreement with KCP&L raises the bar even further and demonstrates just how much we can achieve when utilities and groups like the Sierra Club work together.”

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Kansas City Power & Light

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How selective catalytic reduction can eliminate NOx emissons from power plants

B & W and AEP to Demonstrate New Clean Coal Technology for Capture of CO2 Emissions

HOUSTON—March 16, 2007--McDermott International, Inc. (NYSE:MDR) announced today that its subsidiary, The Babcock & Wilcox Company (“B&W”), and American Electric Power (“AEP”) plan to pursue the commercial viability of a new combustion technology to reduce carbon dioxide (“CO2”) and other emissions from coal-fired power plants. Under the terms of a memorandum of understanding (“MOU”) agreement, the companies will assess the application of oxy-coal combustion as a retrofit to an existing AEP plant, and work toward the development of the first oxy-coal commercial validation project in the United States.

Oxy-coal combustion uses pure oxygen for the combustion of coal in electricity generating plants. In this system, nitrogen that comes in with the air for the combustion process is eliminated. As a result, the exhaust gas is a relatively pure stream of CO2 that is ready for capture and sequestration or alternative uses such as enhanced oil recovery. Use of this technology is expected to result in near-zero emissions from coal-fired electric-generating facilities. B&W has established a collaboration agreement with American Air Liquide, Inc. for the continued development of the technology.

During the summer of 2007, B&W will complete a pilot demonstration of the oxy-coal combustion technology at its Clean Environment Development Facility (“CEDF”) in Alliance, Ohio. The CEDF is a 30MWth combustion testing facility that simulates key operating characteristics of a modern, commercial fossil fuel-fired power plant and includes a pulverized coal feed system, furnace and convection pass, an air heater, dry and wet scrubbers, baghouses and an electrostatic precipitator.

AEP will be among the utility participants in B&W’s Oxy-Coal Combustion Advisory Group in an effort to help bring the potential users of the technology into the development process.

In addition, as part of the MOU, B&W and AEP will evaluate and select the most suitable existing AEP plant location for the commercial application of the oxy-coal combustion technology. B&W will also provide unit performance and design approximations for potential carbon capture uses, perform preliminary site equipment layouts, prepare a detailed scope of work, and develop schedule- and budget-price estimates.

“B&W and AEP have a long history of working together to advance the technology of electric power generation,” said Brandon C. Bethards, President, B&W Fossil Power Group. “We expect that this study will bring us even closer to identifying a viable carbon-reduction solution for coal-firing power plants – one that is both economical and environmentally sound.”

The feasibility study is scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2008.
In addition to the work under the MOU with AEP, B&W is working with a major Canadian utility to develop a supercritical pressure, pulverized coal-fired boiler and to assess the feasibility of proceeding to the construction phase on a new, near-zero-emissions, 300MW power station utilizing the oxy-coal combustion technology. In that unit, recovered CO2 would be sold for enhanced oil recovery operations and eventually sequestrated underground in stable geologic formations.

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Air Liquide
McDermott International, Inc.

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About selective catalytic reduction to reduce NOx from coal-fired power plants

Canadian Scientific Study Reinforces ThermoEnergy’s Carbon Capture Technology

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.—March 16, 2007--ThermoEnergy Corporation today announced the release of the scientific study by the CANMET Energy Research Centre (part of the Canadian Ministry of Natural Resources) on ThermoEnergy’s advanced new pressurized oxy-fuel power plant design called the ThermoEnergy Integrated Power System, or TIPS process. The report, entitled “Technical and Economic Feasibility Study of a Pressurized Oxy-fuel Approach to Carbon Capture” identifies TIPS as potentially the most competitive new power plant design for the capture of carbon dioxide (CO2). The Company is currently working with the Alaska Energy Authority, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and CANMET to design, build and operate an engineering prototype of a TIPS power system which will be housed at CANMET’s laboratory in Ottawa.

“The CANMET report represents an extremely important milestone for the Company since it not only substantiates, but actually exceeds many of our own performance predictions for TIPS,” said Dennis C. Cossey, ThermoEnergy’s CEO. “The data generated by the current project underway in Ottawa will provide the data we need to take the TIPS technology to the next step – a large-scale stand-alone pilot plant,” said Alex Fassbender, EVP and Chief Technology Officer at ThermoEnergy as well as Project Manager of the Ottawa development program. Mr. Fassbender is also the inventor of the TIPS process.

TIPS is a patented pressurized oxy-fuel combustion system designed to achieve high thermal efficiency, near zero air emissions of pollutants, as well as CO2 capture. TIPS’ ability to utilize a wide range of fuel resources, including high moisture fuels such as Powder River Basin coal and lignite, and biomass with relatively few process steps provides significant economic advantages over competing new power plant designs such as Integrated Gasification and Combined Cycle (IGCC) plants. TIPS also eliminates the need for expensive pre-processing of coal since coals with low thermal value can be fed directly into TIPS boilers with no loss of efficiency.

The use of elevated pressures in the TIPS process significantly increases heat transfer which results in a corresponding reduction of size in key power plant components, such as boilers and heat exchangers, when compared with air-fired or atmospheric pressure oxy-fuel systems. TIPS’ excellent thermal efficiencies over a wide range of sizes, from ten-megawatt industrial combined heat & power plants to large utility power plants, provides a wide range of market opportunities both in the US and abroad.

One of the key conclusions of the CANMET report is that no major technical barriers were found in the TIPS process. “The current collaboration with the Canadian government, along with previous work done with US Department of Energy (DOE), the EPA, Reaction Systems Engineering (a British firm), and the University of Nevada/Reno has greatly accelerated the development of the TIPS process,” said Cossey. “We are on a very aggressive schedule that projects a large-scale, carbon capture commercial power plant underway within the next two years.” The 200-page CANMET report will soon be available for download on the ThermoEnergy’s website.

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ThermoEnergy

MIT Panel Provides Policy Blueprint for Future of Use of Coal as Policymakers Work to Reverse Global Warming

Washington, DC – March 14, 2007 -- Leading academics from an interdisciplinary Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) panel issued a report today that examines how the world can continue to use coal, an abundant and inexpensive fuel, in a way that mitigates, instead of worsens, the global warming crisis. The study, "The Future of Coal – Options for a Carbon Constrained World," advocates the U.S. assume global leadership on this issue through adoption of significant policy actions.

Led by co-chairs Professor John Deutch, Institute Professor, Department of Chemistry, and Ernest J. Moniz, Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics and Engineering Systems, the report states that carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is the critical enabling technology to help reduce CO2 emissions significantly while also allowing coal to meet the world's pressing energy needs.

According to Dr. Deutch, "As the world's leading energy user and greenhouse gas emitter, the U.S. must take the lead in showing the world CCS can work. Demonstration of technical, economic, and institutional features of CCS at commercial scale coal combustion and conversion plants will give policymakers and the public confidence that a practical carbon mitigation control option exists, will reduce cost of CCS should carbon emission controls be adopted, and will maintain the low-cost coal option in an environmentally acceptable manner."

Dr. Moniz added, "There are many opportunities for enhancing the performance of coal plants in a carbon-constrained world – higher efficiency generation, perhaps through new materials; novel approaches to gasification, CO2 capture, and oxygen separation; and advanced system concepts, perhaps guided by a new generation of simulation tools. An aggressive R&D effort in the near term will yield significant dividends down the road, and should be undertaken immediately to help meet this urgent scientific challenge."
Key findings in this study:

Coal is a low-cost, per BTU, mainstay of both the developed and developing world, and its use is projected to increase. Because of coal's high carbon content, increasing use will exacerbate the problem of climate change unless coal plants are deployed with very high efficiency and large scale CCS is implemented.

CCS is the critical enabling technology because it allows significant reduction in CO2 emissions while allowing coal to meet future energy needs.

A significant charge on carbon emissions is needed in the relatively near term to increase the economic attractiveness of new technologies that avoid carbon emissions and specifically to lead to large-scale CCS in the coming decades. We need large-scale demonstration projects of the technical, economic and environmental performance of an integrated CCS system.

We should proceed with carbon sequestration projects as soon as possible. Several integrated large-scale demonstrations with appropriate measurement, monitoring and verification are needed in the United States over the next decade with government support. This is important for establishing public confidence for the very large-scale sequestration program anticipated in the future. 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.

The U.S. government should provide assistance only to coal projects with CO2 capture in order to demonstrate technical, economic and environmental performance.

Today, IGCC appears to be the economic choice for new coal plants with CCS. However, this could change with further RD&D, so it is not appropriate to pick a single technology winner at this time, especially in light of the variability in coal type, access to sequestration sites, and other factors. The government should provide assistance to several "first of a kind" coal utilization demonstration plants, but only with carbon capture.

Congress should remove any expectation that construction of new coal plants without CO2 capture will be "grandfathered" and granted emission allowances in the event of future regulation. This is a perverse incentive to build coal plants without CO2 capture today.

Emissions will be stabilized only through global adherence to CO2 emission constraints. China and India are unlikely to adopt carbon constraints unless the U.S. does so and leads the way in the development of CCS technology.

Key changes must be made to the current Department of Energy RD&D program to successfully promote CCS technologies. The program must provide for demonstration of CCS at scale; a wider range of technologies should be explored; and modeling and simulation of the comparative performance of integrated technology systems should be greatly enhanced.

About The MIT study: A group of MIT faculty has undertaken a series of interdisciplinary studies about how the U.S. and the world would meet future energy demand without increasing emissions of greenhouse gases. The first study, "The Future of Nuclear Power," appeared in 2003.

Generous financial support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Energy Foundation, the Better World Fund, Norwegian Research Council, and the MIT Office of the Provost is gratefully acknowledged. Shell provided additional support for part of MIT's studies in China.

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The Future of Coal – Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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About selective catalytic reduction for coal-fired power plants

UC Berkeley Energy Symposium Showcases Cutting-Edge Research on Sustainable Energy

The first annual University of California, Berkeley, Energy Symposium – "Challenges, Opportunities, and the Role of UC Berkeley in Creating a Sustainable Energy Future." The event will bring together 150 of UC Berkeley’s leading researchers in energy technology, economics, and policy with the nation’s top “cleantech” investors, industry experts, business leaders, and entrepreneurs.

Keynote speakers will include UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau and Nobel Prize winner Steven Chu, director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, among others.

The symposium will highlight clean energy innovations emerging from several segments of the UC Berkeley community and include discussions about energy-efficiency, transportation fuels, solar technologies, carbon regulation and innovation, energy storage, and energy economics. A student poster session will display more than 50 research projects of UC Berkeley’s top graduate students.

WHEN:
8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday, March 21

WHERE:
Martin Luther King, Jr. Student Union, on Bancroft Way at Telegraph Avenue. A campus map is online at http://berc.berkeley.edu/symposium-directions.html.

WHO:
Additional keynote speakers will include:William Banholzer, chief technology officer of Dow Chemical CompanyDavid Crane, special jobs and economic growth advisor to Gov. SchwarzeneggerIra Ehrenpreis, general partner of Technology PartnersChris Somerville, director of plant biology with the Carnegie InstitutionArt Rosenfeld, a commissioner with the California Energy Commission

DETAILS:
The Energy Symposium is being organized by the Berkeley Energy and Resources Collaborative. BERC, an interdisciplinary, student-run organization, was founded in 2005 to enhance interdepartmental collaboration on energy issues and to serve as a bridge between the university and the private sector.

Innovations will be highlighted at the symposium from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Haas School of Business, Energy and Resources Group, UC Energy Institute; School of Law (Boalt Hall), College of Engineering, College of Chemistry, Goldman School of Public Policy, Institute of Transportation Studies, College of Natural Resources, and Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS).

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University of Berkeley