Historically, power plants have accounted for a significant amount of our carbon emissions. But, could it be possible for power plants to capture all of their carbon emissions economically? NET Power says it is, and with no extra cost attached. The company’s idea for capturing and utilizing the carbon dioxide from combustion could revolutionize the industry and help fight global climate change.
The Allam Cycle
This new electric generation system, dubbed the “Allam Cycle” doesn’t use steam. Instead, the so-called working fluid that turns the turbine is carbon dioxide itself. It also employs an efficient cooling system. The Allam cycle captures all the carbon dioxide produced when burning natural gas. The carbon dioxide then can be transported via pipeline and used for other purposes.
Demonstration Plant First Fire Successful
NET Power, LLC announced in May 2018 that it successfully achieved first fire of its supercritical carbon dioxide (CO₂) demonstration power plant and test facility located in La Porte, TX. According to Inc, if all goes well, the plant will be “the first of many like it around the globe.” NET Power is targeting the global deployment of 300MWe-class commercial-scale plants for 2022.
First fire at 25 megawatts is a critical milestone for the demonstration plant, as it validates the fundamental operability and technical foundation of NET Power’s new power system, designed to produce low-cost electricity from natural gas while generating near-zero atmospheric emissions, including full CO₂ capture.
Testing for the Future
Not only would this technology prevent the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, it would also generate electricity as efficiently and cost-effectively as other modern power plants. The Allam Cycle could be the next logical step in power generation as testing at the demonstration plant proceeds.
Read more via Inc, “A $150 Million Power Plant Was Just Built in Texas. Humanity Should Pray It Succeeds”:
https://www.inc.com/kevin-j-ryan/net-power-zero-emissions-plant-global-warming.html
