On the 24th November 2021, at the annual Fearnley Securities ‘Renewables & Clean-Tech Conference’, several companies presented live across multiple channels, from an attended event hosted in Oslo. Talks focused on wind, solar and hydro as well as hydrogen and carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies.
In the CCS channel, CO2 Capsol presented their proven and highly competitive carbon capture solution, which they report costs 30% less than alternative technologies over the full project lifecycle. Unlike traditional liquid sorbent-based solutions, Capsol are utilising a non-hazardous solid sorbent, generally referred to as ‘HPC’ (Hot Potassium Carbonate). Their patented ‘end of pipe’ post combustion carbon capture technology has been selected for Stockholm Exergi’s BECCS plant, which will be Europe’s largest, capturing 800ktCO2 pa.
One of the major benefits is that the capture plant can be run on electricity only, as it does not require steam as a utility, which provides a degree of independence from the power plant to which it is installed. This is part of what makes the technology more flexible and also better suited to decarbonising OCGTs (open cycle gas turbines) than a liquid sorbent-based solution, which in turn maintains the advantages that an OCGT has over a CCGT (closed cycle gas turbine) for providing truly flexible dispatchable power.