Renewable energy is a most controversial topic in the world but still coal is the primary source of energy production. The huge, readily accessible coal resources are another asset shared by many nations, as are a huge number of highly qualified miners, chemists, and engineers. Although coal-fired power plants currently fuel enormous appetites, they also emit amazing volumes of carbon dioxide (CO2), which accounts for 44% of worldwide CO2 emissions from fossil fuels. But as the temperature rises and the sky becomes hazy, people want for inexpensive electricity and pure air.

The adoption of carbon capture and storage (CCS) is one suggestion for reducing carbon emissions by 80% over the next 30 years, even though the demand for energy will rise by 50%. The United Nations has testified that the Earth’s temperature can only be seriously harmed by an increase of 2° Celsius above current levels.

In the modern era, the oil and gas industry uses CO2 storage, or sequestration, in two ways: either it is separated from natural gas and pumped out of depleted coal fields or other deep seams, or it is pumped into oil fields to maintain pressure and facilitate extraction ,one metric tonne dissolves out approximately three barrels. The CO2 is either kept subterranean or directed into abandoned sandstone reservoirs. To avert CO2 from leaking into the atmosphere, it is also intended to inject the gas into saline aquifers that are 1,000 meters below the surface of the ocean.

Although it has been possible to store CO2, the capture of CO2 from power plants is still mainly conceptual, even though CCS sites in North America and Western Europe are being planned. The three primary distinct kinds of CCS are oxy-firing, post-combustion, and pre-combustion. The US Congressional Budget Office (CBO) assessed post-combustion capture advantageously in a 2012 article because it can be retrofitted into existing power plants, while pre-combustion and oxy-firing require the construction of completely new facilities. On the other hand, pre-combustion and oxy-firing produce more electricity and eliminate more CO2 than post-combustion.
In order to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2038, the state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) would invest almost Rs 2 lakh crore. A number of nations are eager to expand CCS because it has the potential to cut carbon emissions rapidly, and there are strong advocacy groups for CCS among engineers and miners. Because power-plant equipment uses their products, the oil and gas sector is interested in foundries and refineries that manufacture steel and emit carbon. Furthermore, a portion of electricity must be produced by renewable energy sources or more energy-efficient technologies, like CCS, according to current clean energy acts in several nations.

However, there are still a lot of concerns about CCS. First and foremost, the cost is prohibitive; conservative calculations place the electricity it produces at a cost more than five times that of retail today. For CCS to be successful, significant state subsidies would be required, as customers are unlikely to want to bear this price increase. Certain CCS technology is unproven; for instance, the turbines in an IGCC system powered by syngas have never been put to use in an industrial setting. For storage and transportation, CO2 must be compressed into a supercritical liquid after collection, which is extremely expensive.

What is most troubling is that CCS is only a medium-term solution—it lowers carbon emissions but does not eliminate them. There are at least four cost-effective substitutes for CCS. To start, traditional pulverised coal power plants are being redesigned to produce more electricity with less coal. These plants might be more economical before coal is phased out, which is eventually what will have to occur. Second, combined natural gas and coal plants might be constructed. Third, it is possible to use natural gas alone. Finally, the validity of solar electricity is rapidly increasing. In all of this, a cost estimate for the production of power must be employed. A levelized cost of energy (LCOE) is the average cost of generating electricity over the course of a power plant’s lifetime, including financing, building, and operation; pollution is not included in this calculation.

Even yet, it might not be possible to scrap every coal-fired facility, given the abundance of coal and the number of such units. Whatever occurs, the problem of affordable electricity and clean air might not be resolved.

Arunya.P

University/College name : Dr. N.G.P Arts and Science College