Harnessing flexibility potential of flexible carbon capture power plants for future low carbon power systems: Review

Abstract

Fossil-fired power plants retrofitted with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) may have operational benefits for future low carbon power systems. This paper aims to review state of the art literature with the objective to identify whether carbon capture power plants would bring flexibility within future lower carbon power systems. To achieve this objective, at first, the work investigates flexible operation of CCS technology. In particular, flexibility enabling mechanisms and factors that affect the flexible operation of CCS are reviewed. Flexibility requirements and provision assessment tools/metrics for future low carbon power systems are reviewed with the aim to identify the favourite properties required for future low carbon technologies. The work then presents how flexible CCS might improve the conventional power plant flexibility properties. Moreover, the paper presents the value of flexible operation of CCS for different stakeholders while it also identifies different influencing factors of optimal plant operation and profitability. The different power system services that the CCS-equipped plants might serve are also presented.