Carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) can reduce the environmental impacts of our energy supply.

Because of the large scale and inertia of our electric power system, significant changes in the power mix will take decades to achieve. CCS can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil-fuel power generation in the interim, giving renewable power sources time to expand.

Also, in a future electricity grid powered largely by renewable resources, there will be need for constant, reliable baseload power generation. CCS could help provide this power with minimal greenhouse gas impacts.

This learning laboratory brings together researchers from across Stanford University's School of Earth Sciences to work on a variety of topics associated with integrated, full-scale CCS projects. The motivating example for our research efforts is the Two Elk Energy Park, a power generation project in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming. Our research efforts will include:

• Zero-waste and beneficial re-use of wastes from power production
• Coordination of capture with other pollutant removal systems
• Characterization of geological storage opportunities
• Integration of CCS with optimized multi-fuel "energy parks"
  

Find out more about the project below:

• What's new with the project
• Research topics within the project
• People involved in the project
  
• Publications by project members
• Links to Wyoming energy information

 

Photos: Sally Benson, Adam Brandt