CAS-Climate: Coupling Decarbonization of the Power System with Advance Planning for Integrating Negative Emission Technologies

电力系统公用事业公司正在努力降低发电的二氧化碳排放强度。 最终目标是达到接近零的二氧化碳排放。然而，有效地减缓气候变化将要求电力公司实现负的，而不是接近零的二氧化碳排放。负排放一词指的是去除已经排放的大气二氧化碳，要实现这一目标，需要大规模部署两项关键的负排放技术：直接空气捕获和封存二氧化碳（DACS）和生物能源与二氧化碳捕获和封存（BECCS）。在DACS中，封存是通过将捕获的二氧化碳长期地质储存在地下地层中来实现的。在BECCS中，能源是通过燃烧柳枝稷等生物来源的燃料产生的，燃烧产生的二氧化碳又被种植这种燃料来源的新作物吸收。如何将DACS和BECCS集成到现有的发电系统中需要进一步的研究。采用强有力的方法来评估如何通过负排放技术消除二氧化碳，以适应不同的系统，这一点至关重要。在该研究项目中，该团队将回答关键问题，包括未来电力系统中大规模负排放技术集成的会计处理将如何影响近期或长期脱碳计划，以及如何评估不同的脱碳和负排放技术集成途径。 最终，该项目将开发一个由电力系统长期规划模型和强大的场景驱动的新框架，捕捉电力系统脱碳和负排放技术集成之间的相互作用。该研究项目有三个具体的研究目标：重新制定，参数化和验证基于优化的容量扩展模型，以能够集成负排放技术。然后，通过结合脱碳和负排放技术方案的实验设计运行该产能扩张模型，分析结果，然后通过敏感性分析解决不确定性。最后，积极与研究，教育和电力系统社区交流结果。考虑到近期与长期负排放目标的脱碳决策可能会导致发电，存储和传输功能完全不同的电力系统。不同的特点反过来又可能导致成本和可行性方面的差异，最终破坏气候变化减缓目标的实现。该研究项目旨在创造有关如何确保近期行动与长期二氧化碳清除需求一致以及如何优化可行性的知识。该项目团队将通过公用事业研究所的网格学校发布政策简报并分享分析，该学院培训公用事业人员，监管机构和其他人。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Electric power system utilities are engaged in work to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions intensity of electricity generation. The ultimate aim is to reach near-zero carbon dioxide emissions. Effectively mitigating climate change will require power utilities to achieve negative, not near-zero, carbon dioxide emissions though. The term, negative emissions, denotes removal of atmospheric carbon dioxide that already was emitted, and meeting this goal will require massive deployment of two key negative emission technologies: direct air capture and sequestration of carbon dioxide (DACS) and bioenergy with carbon dioxide capture and sequestration (BECCS). In DACS, sequestration is achieved through geologic, long-term storage of captured carbon dioxide in underground formations. In BECCS, energy is generated from burning fuels derived from biological sources, such as switchgrass, and the carbon dioxide produced from the combustion is again absorbed by growing new crops of this fuel source. Further research is needed into how to integrate DACS and BECCS into existing power generating systems. Robust approaches to evaluate how carbon dioxide removal via negative emissions technologies can fit into different systems are critically important. In this research project, the team will answer key questions including, how accounting for large-scale negative emission technologies integration in future power systems will affect near- or long-term decarbonization plans, and how different decarbonization and negative emission technologies integration pathways can be evaluated. Ultimately, the project will develop a novel framework driven by a power system long-term planning model and robust scenarios capturing the interactions between decarbonization of power systems and integration of negative emission technologies. This research project has three specific research objectives: reformulate, parameterize, and validate an optimization-based capacity expansion model to be capable of integrating negative emission technologies. Then, run this capacity expansion model through an experimental design incorporating decarbonization and negative emission technologies scenarios, analyze results, and then address uncertainty through sensitivity analyses. Finally, actively communicate results with the research, education, and power systems communities. Decarbonization decisions with near-term versus with long-term negative emissions targets in mind could lead to power systems with radically different generation, storage, and transmission features. Different features, in turn, could drive divergences in cost and feasibility and, ultimately, undermine achieving climate change mitigation targets. This research project aims to create knowledge about how to ensure that near-term actions are consistent with long-term carbon dioxide removal needs and how to optimize feasibility. The project team will publish policy briefs and share analyses through the Grid School at the Institute for Public Utilities, which trains utilities personnel, regulators, and others. The team also will develop a podcast miniseries introducing and contextualizing negative emissions technologies.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.