Impact of carbon dioxide removal technologies on deep decarbonization of the electric power sector

TLDR

Carbon dioxide removal technologies, including bioenergy with carbon capture and direct air capture, are essential for stringent climate targets, yet prior studies have mainly focused on bioenergy-based options and have not examined the detailed effects of a diverse removal portfolio on power systems. The study investigates how carbon removal technologies influence electric sector investments, costs, and emissions. The authors employ a detailed capacity‑planning and dispatch model with hourly resolution to assess these impacts. Adding carbon removal to low‑carbon generation lowers deep decarbonization costs, with larger cost and investment shifts under higher policy ambition that reduce reliance on advanced nuclear and long‑duration storage; bioenergy with carbon capture is chosen for net‑zero targets, while direct air capture deployment rises as biomass supply costs increase.

Abstract

Carbon dioxide removal technologies, such as bioenergy with carbon capture and direct air capture, are valuable for stringent climate targets. Previous work has examined implications of carbon removal, primarily bioenergy-based technologies using integrated assessment models, but not investigated the effects of a portfolio of removal options on power systems in detail. Here, we explore impacts of carbon removal technologies on electric sector investments, costs, and emissions using a detailed capacity planning and dispatch model with hourly resolution. We show that adding carbon removal to a mix of low-carbon generation technologies lowers the costs of deep decarbonization. Changes to system costs and investments from including carbon removal are larger as policy ambition increases, reducing the dependence on technologies like advanced nuclear and long-duration storage. Bioenergy with carbon capture is selected for net-zero electric sector emissions targets, but direct air capture deployment increases as biomass supply costs rise.