A NEW type of gas-fired power station could provide electricity with zero carbon-dioxide emissions to the atmosphere and at costs comparable to, or less than, conventional gas and even coal-fuelled plant, it is claimed.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology engineers propose a system that uses solid-oxide fuel cells, which produce power from fuel without burning it.
They say the system would not require any new technology, but would combine existing components, or ones already well under development, in a novel configuration for which protective patents are being sought.
The system would also have the advantage of running on natural gas, a relatively plentiful fuel source, bearing in mind that, based on current estimates, global reserves of natural gas are expected to last about 60 years at current consumption rates.
The system would not emit into the air any CO or other gases believed responsible for global warming, but would instead produce a stream of mostly pure CO.
The belief is that this stream could be harnessed and stored underground relatively easily, a process known as carbon capture and sequestration (CCS).
One additional advantage of the proposed system is that, unlike a conventional natural-gas plant with CCS which would consume significant amounts of water, the fuel cell-based system actually produces clean water that the MIT engineers claim could easily be treated to provide potable water as a side benefit.
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