ASME General Position Statement on Technology and Policy Recommendations and Goals for Reducing Carbon Dioxide Emissions in the Energy Sector
Atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) have increased steadily since the beginning of the industrial revolution and these levels are projected to increase even more rapidly as the global economy grows. Significant climate changes are very likely associated with increased atmospheric concentrations of certain gases, most significantly CO2. The human and ecological cost of climate changes forecast in the absence of mitigation measures is sufficiently large, and the time scales of both intervention and resultant climate change response are sufficiently long, that prudent action is warranted now.
The ASME, founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, recommends that CO2 emissions be reduced to achieve a sustainable atmospheric concentration. This paper provides a technology and engineering perspective, with policy and technology goals. Given the complexity of a carbon-constrained energy portfolio and its associated economic issues, integrated governmental, industrial, technological, and societal approaches are required to control and reduce CO2 emissions. The technical and economic means for significantly reducing CO2 emissions are within reach. Substantial additional research, development, and deployment investments are required to demonstrate technology viability, ensure enabling infrastructures, and minimize cost. Given the time constants for technology deployment and associated climate responses, prudent action addressing CO2 emissions in the near term will have less negative economic impact than deferring action, which necessitates more draconian emissions reductions in the future.
Additionally, ASME acknowledges that adaptation to climate change will be an important and necessary climate response strategy. We therefore recommend that the likely consequences of climate change be determined with more clarity, and that effective measures to adapt to such consequences be identified, prioritized, and incorporated into governmental policies as soon as reasonably practicable.
Estimated carbon emission reductions needed to limit CO2 concentrations to 550 PPM.
Policy Recommendations: ASME recommends that a policy framework to address CO2 emissions include:
• Mandatory, progressive targets to reduce emissions associated with all major energy sectors including power generation, transportation, manufacturing, and commercial and residential buildings, focusing on near-, mid-, and long-term timeframes.
| ASME has chosen to focus its attention on reducing anthropogenic emissions of CO2. This choice is based on an assumption that governments and industry will make decisions regarding the reduction in anthropogenic CO2 emissions. It is also based on the knowledge that ASME is particularly well suited to address the energy sector because of the strong role its members play in all aspects of the energy sector (source of most CO2 emissions).This paper also provides insight regarding the technical options available for reducing CO2 and associated actions required to enable those options. |
• Flexible approaches to motivate achieving CO2 emission limits that may vary by economic sector, and could include, depending on the sector, market-based incentives; governmental loan guarantees; investment tax credits; performance standards; tax reform; incentives for technology research, development, and deployment; and other appropriate policy tools.
• Approaches that account for the global dimensions of achieving and maintaining sustainable levels of atmospheric CO2 and encourage cooperative action by all countries, including the United States and large emitting nations in the developing world, to implement CO2 emission reduction strategies.
• Investments in research to develop cost-effective renewable and efficient energy technologies, improve the performance of carbon energy systems, and support the research for new, clean energy systems and processes.
• Increased emphasis and investment in education and training of the workforce in all advanced energy technologies and their deployment.
• Enhanced development of infrastructures that are required to implement technologies that reduce CO2 emissions.
Technology Goals: Timely development and implementation of cost-effective technologies to reduce CO2 emissions will be required. We therefore recommend the following technology goals:
• Revolutionize the carbon footprint of electricity production by:
– Increasing generation efficiency, demonstrating environmentally sound carbon capture and storage (CCS) from coal and natural gas fired generation, and exploring revolutionary improvements in carbon-based fuel cycles.
– Accelerating the development and deployment of renewable electricity generation, including enabling storage and electrical infrastructures.
– Resolving nuclear waste management, closing the nuclear fuel cycle, and streamlining regulatory approval of safe, secure, next-generation nuclear power plants.
– Enhancing electric transmission and distribution, and developing and deploying the “smart grid.”
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Carbon capture and storage involves capturing CO2 streams in power plants and injecting them at high pressures into deep geologic formations, for permanent storage. Natural analogues from oil and gas fields indicate that CO2 can remain trapped for millions of years. Applying CCS technologies to nearly all new coal-based power plants entering service after 2020 would make the largest single contribution towards reducing future U.S. electric sector CO2 emissions.
Extension of the nuclear fuel resource by a factor of six is possible through a combination of recycling uranium through existing nuclear power plants and through exploiting thorium-based fuel. This fuel switch postpones any constraint imposed by uranium supply allowing ample time for the development of breeder and other types of advanced reactors. Interim spent fuel storage should also be implemented as a means to enable safe nuclear waste management until a terminal repository is available. |
• Reinvent transportation by:
- Accelerating the development of electric vehicles as well as an advanced electric grid capable of energy storage in order better to accommodate this technology with renewable electricity.
- Accelerating development of alternative propulsion technologies including more efficient engine and power trains concepts and systems, including those employing renewable fuels.
| Development of renewable fuel infrastructures and systems is very complex. Therefore, comprehensive analyses are required to ensure that implementation accomplishes the desired goals, with few unintended consequences. |
- Developing environmentally sustainable transportation fuels such as cellulosic ethanol, hydrogen fuel cells, algae-generated and other alternative fuels.
- Adopting sustainable lifecycle design changes to minimize energy and environmental footprint.
- Facilitating development and deployment of transportation infrastructures and operational approaches that minimize greenhouse gas emissions while enabling growth of freight and human transport.
• Transform the buildings sector by:
- Mandating development, demonstration, and deployment of codes and standards encouraging building construction and retrofit to enable the use of sustainable materials and highly energy-efficient
architectural, equipment, and operating systems.
- Increasing research, development, and demonstration of methods to increase energy efficiency in building operations and integration of building equipment (including on-site generation) into the local energy infrastructure (particularly the electric grid).
- Resolving technical, regulatory and business practice barriers for broad implementation of onsite combined heat and power and renewable energy systems for building applications.
| Typically, CHP systems will achieve total energy-use efficiencies that exceed 60 percent, and may exceed 80 percent where conditions of thermal load and site permit. CHP typically uses natural gas as a fuel, which emits less CO2 than other fossil fuels. Incorporating CHP in buildings is site-specific and some existing buildings are not capable of hosting on-site generation. |
• Promote more sustainable industry by:
- Creating incentives for adopting energy-efficiency measures in industry.
- Promoting increased levels of recycling and remanufacturing to recover the energy invested through virgin material processing and reducing the embedded energy content of materials.
| Manufacturing accounts for about 84 percent of energy-related CO2 emissions and 90 percent of the energy consumption of industrial end-uses. For the industrial sector, approximately half of the CO2 emissions are direct emissions while the remainder is associated with electricity consumption. |
• Empower innovation by:
- Increasing the breadth and collaboration of participants in R&D.
| Innovation will come through the development and implementation of a new process that can uncover and discover the disruptors to accelerate technology deployment. |
- Additional economic incentives for private sector R&D for possible breakthrough technologies.
- Increasing the quantity of R&D for low carbon technologies.
This executive summary and selected excerpts are drawn from a policy paper approved by the ASME Board of Governors and published in April. Based on conclusions from the Climate Change Task Force, the full paper can accessed by clicking here.
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