Solar-powered PCC: An upfront levy for sustainable carbon capture

To solarize the carbon capture industry and completely move away from the power plant (PP) steam cycle, a novel concept for solar-powered post-combustion carbon capture (SP-PCC) is proposed. In this configuration, solvent regeneration directly occurs in a new design called a "solar stripper " (So-St) network, sized and designed to replace the conventional desorption unit of the PCC. This study evaluates the economic footprint of SP-PCC technology in comparison withconventional PCC where the steam is totally bled from the PP steam cycle, and solar-assisted PCC (SA-PCC) where a portion of the steam is produced in a solar collector field (SCF) to contribute towards the reboiler duty in the PCC. The CAPEX & OPEX, and the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) are calculated for a 660 MWe coal-fired PP case-study located in Sydney, Australia. For the fully solar-driven process as in the SP-PCC case, the LCOE is 57.8% and 45.9% higher than the PCC and SA-PCC counterparts, respectively. The high LCOE for SP-PCC is attributed to the 100% solar contribution for the thermal duty demand. Under a similar 100% solar energy contribution for the SA-PCC case, the LCOE is more than five folds greater than the SP-PCC counterpart. Therefore, to fully solarize a carbon capture process, particularly in heavy industries where steam production is not part of normal routine, this novel SP-PCC method would be the best technology option. Comprehensive analyses of economic parameters reveal potential areas for LCOE reductions. Future work should explore ways to capitalize on solvent screening and process innovations to unlock the full potential of the SP-PCC technology.