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Coal + Biomass → Liquids + Electricity (with CCS)
Citation:
Aitken, M. Coal + Biomass → Liquids + Electricity (with CCS). Presented at RASEI Big Energy Seminar Series, Boulder, CO, April 02, 2015.
Impact/Purpose:
Examine the potential role in the U.S. energy system of a technology that converts coal and biomass inputs to Fischer-Tropsch liquid fuels and electricity
Description:
In this presentation, Matt Aitken applies the MARKet ALlocation energy system model to evaluate the market potential for a class of technologies that convert coal and biomass to liquid fuels and electricity (CBtLE), paired with carbon capture and storage (CCS). The technology is shown to achieve some degree of market share within a baseline scenario. A nested sensitivity analysis is conducted to explore how the following factors affect CBtLE-CCS market potential: oil price, cost of CCS, and presence and stringency of a carbon mitigation target. The analysis shows that CBtLE-CCS is most competitive in scenarios with little-to-no CO2 constraint, high oil prices, and low CCS costs. Within the examined parameter ranges, CBtLE-CCS penetration is most sensitive to oil price. The regions of the U.S. most conducive to CBtLE-CCS are the Great Plains and the Midwest, a function of proximity to coal resources and high biomass production. In contrast, CBtLE-CCS is not as competitive in New England and on the West Coast, a response that is driven by their distance from coal-producing regions and relatively high coal prices.