Preventing catastrophic global climate changes, according to professor Wim C. Turkenburg of Utrecht University, requires three things: improving energy efficiency, increasing renewable energy’s share of overall energy consumption and pumping CO2 emissions from power plants, refineries and chemical plants into underground reservoirs.

The idea that CO2 can be pumped into the ground – also known as carbon capture and storage (CCS) – has been around for about twenty years. But, despite its age, Turkenburg believes CCS still has a way to go before it is “reliable, safe and profitable enough”.

“Even though we have a lot of good experiences with the technology in different countries, we still lack a clear picture of how it will work on the large scale with coal, oil or gas- fired power plants.”

Part of transition to renewables

One of the field's pioneering figures, Turkenburg led a session focusing on the concept during The International Scientific Congress on Climate Change in Copenhagen in March 2009.

He says CCS will be necessary, because it is unrealistic to think that we can wean ourselves off fossil fuels in the short term.

“Since renewables can’t compete on price yet, you’re going to have a hard time convincing countries that have fossil fuel deposits – like the US, China and Russia – not to exploit them. But the Earth’s climate can’t sustain current levels of CO2 emissions, so CCS will be an unavoidable part of a transition towards a greater reliance on renewables.”

He calculates – based on IPCC evaluations – that CCS could cut overall CO2 emissions by between 15 per cent and 55 per cent.

Read the full interview with Wim C. Turkenburg. (pdf).

By Kathrine Schmeichel, kats@cowi.com
Published: 15.05.2009