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The main cause
of global climate change is the burning of fossil fuels, especially
coal. The future climate policy will encounter major challenges
from an expected substantial buildup of coal fired power plants,
resulting from security of supply and production cost reasons. Some
experts hope for a clean solution to this problem by turning to
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). The Climate Talk on 24 May 2006
focused on the questions, of whether climate policy can reconcile
itself with coal fired energy production by using CCS and what kind
of problems and challenges can be expected from this new technology.
Presentations
were given on the above theme from Dr.
Ottmar Edenhofer (Potsdam Institut für Klimafolgenforschung),
Dr. Lutz v. Meyerinck (Deutsche
BP AG), and Dr.
Barbara Praetorius (Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung).
Broad consensus held that, as a result of the continuous and growing
importance of coal worldwide, CCS will be indispensable for future
climate protection regimes. It was pointed out that CCS might not
only be useful for coal fired power plants, but also an option,
at least technical, for businesses using oil, gas and biomass. At
the same time, the participants agreed that CCS alone can not solve
the climate problem. CCS technology has to be supplemented by extensive
use of renewable energies and increases in energy efficiency.
Some
participants showed apprehension resulting from still necessary
but possibly protracted research into CCS. Meanwhile a new generation
of power plants could be installed that are not CCS compatible and
incapable of being retrofitted. In the face of this pitfall, the
need for using and furthering short-term climate protection measures
became apparent. In this context, the incumbents in the German electrical
sector were criticized for not putting enough emphasis on renewable
energy in their portfolios. Nuclear energy was viewed critically
and rated as unimportant for international climate protection efforts.
Fuel costs and the leakage rate were identified as the main drivers
for the development of CCS. Furthermore, the importance of emissions
trading was underlined as it creates a price on CO2 and only high
CO2 prices would make CCS, from a business standpoint, an interesting
option. In this context, the importance was underscored for national
and international politics to create binding emissions reductions
targets.
Some
participants pointed to the yet unresolved question regarding liability
as a critical facet for public acceptance of CCS. Moreover, the
importance of successful monitoring was emphasized. The need for
more research was consistently underscored, including the need for
a guiding project.
The animated discussion was eventually moved to a nearby location,
where the evening drew to a relaxed close.
Further
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