Bloomberg reported that western governments pushing China to use clean coal technology may need to lower their expectations for the world's largest producer of greenhouse gases.
Richard Morse, a Stanford University research associate and author of a study on the technology, said that costs will total as much as US$400 billion over 30 years to install systems to capture carbon dioxide from power plant smokestacks in China and bury it underground. China has little incentive to use carbon capture because it will raise power prices and it's unclear if wealthier nations will pick up the bill.
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu and European nations have championed carbon capture for nations, including China, as vital to slowing global warming while keeping coal in the energy mix. China, the biggest producer of coal, gets about 80% of its electricity from burning the fuel, which spews more heat-trapping gases than do natural gas or oil.
"The idea that carbon capture has to happen in China is a western idea," said Morse, adding that proposals by developed nations that seek Chinese cooperation ignore the staggering costs of clean coal devices.
It may be noted that U.S. and China are negotiating a two-way agreement to reign in emissions ahead of the December meeting of 192 nations in Copenhagen, which was called to produce a new global climate accord. In July meetings with government officials in China, Chu underscored the role carbon capture can play in lowering coal emissions.
Richard Morse, a Stanford University research associate and author of a study on the technology, said that costs will total as much as US$400 billion over 30 years to install systems to capture carbon dioxide from power plant smokestacks in China and bury it underground. China has little incentive to use carbon capture because it will raise power prices and it's unclear if wealthier nations will pick up the bill.
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu and European nations have championed carbon capture for nations, including China, as vital to slowing global warming while keeping coal in the energy mix. China, the biggest producer of coal, gets about 80% of its electricity from burning the fuel, which spews more heat-trapping gases than do natural gas or oil.
"The idea that carbon capture has to happen in China is a western idea," said Morse, adding that proposals by developed nations that seek Chinese cooperation ignore the staggering costs of clean coal devices.
It may be noted that U.S. and China are negotiating a two-way agreement to reign in emissions ahead of the December meeting of 192 nations in Copenhagen, which was called to produce a new global climate accord. In July meetings with government officials in China, Chu underscored the role carbon capture can play in lowering coal emissions.
