Cycling Coal and Natural Gas-fired Power Plants with CCS

Abstract

The profitability impacts of solvent storage are modeled for new coal and natural gas-fired power plants with amine and ammonia-based post-combustion CCS facing variable electricity prices. With perfect information of future prices, up to 3 hours of solvent storage was valuable due to price volatility at carbon prices up to $40/tonne CO2 and no regenerator undersize. With imperfect information with relaxed constraints on regenerator undersizing, up to 8 hours of solvent storage was valuable when coupled with an undersized CO2 capture system at carbon prices up to $60/tonne CO2. The results indicate that storage does not have value above the breakeven CO2 price for these plants.