Current U.S. Generation Mix
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration,
Form EIA-923, "Power Plant Operations Report.”
The issue
Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) is a clean coal technology that combines two technologies – coal gasification and combined cycle generation.
IGCC process
IGCC is a clean coal technology that converts coal or other fuel into a mixture of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen known as “syngas” then cleans the syngas of ash, slag, sulfur, and mercury before it is combusted. This results in low emissions of sulfur dioxide, particulates, and mercury. It also results in improved efficiency compared to conventional pulverized coal combustion technology.
Source: NETL
Advantages of IGCC
- Efficiencies comparable to current supercritical PC technologies
- Somewhat lower air emissions
- Lower water consumption
- Lower solid waste
- Potential to capture CO2 at lower cost
- Potential for polygeneration – including production of fertilizer and transportation fuels
- Fuel flexibility
Challenges
- Unfamiliar technology to power industry: “chemical plant,” not combustion boiler
- Higher capital and operating costs
- Standard designs and guarantee packages not yet fully developed
- Reluctance of a vendor to assume technology risks
- Lingering availability/reliability concerns
- Questions about feasibility and cost using low-rank coals, particularly PRB and lignite
- Commercial business model development (identification and mitigation of risks; contracting strategy; fuel supply, regulatory cost recovery and public policy)
Source: NETL
