An estimate of the amount of geological CO2 storage over the period of 1996-2020
Author(s)
Zhang, Yuting
Jackson, Christopher
Krevor, Samuel
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The climate impact of carbon capture and storage depends on how much CO2 is stored underground, yet databases of industrial-scale projects report capture capacity as a measure of project size. We review publicly available sources to estimate the amount of CO2 that has been stored by facilities since 1996. We organize these sources into three categories corresponding to the associated degree of assurance: (1) legal assurance, (2) quality assurance through auditing, and (3) no assurance. Data were found for 20 facilities, with an aggregate capture capacity of 36 Mt of CO2 year–1. Combining data from all categories, we estimate that 29 Mt of CO2 was geologically stored in 2019 and there was cumulative storage of 197 Mt over the period of 1996–2020. These are climate relevant scales commensurate with recent cumulative and ongoing emissions impacts of renewables in some markets, e.g., solar photovoltaics in the United States. The widely used capture capacity is in aggregate 19–30% higher than storage rates and is not a good proxy for estimating storage volumes. However, the discrepancy is project-specific and not always a reflection of project performance. This work provides a snapshot of storage amounts and highlights the need for uniform reporting on capture and storage rates with quality assurance.
Date Issued
2022-08-09
Date Acceptance
2022-08-01
Citation
Environmental Science and Technology Letters, 2022, 9 (8), pp.693-698
ISSN
2328-8930
Publisher
American Chemical Society
Start Page
693
End Page
698
Journal / Book Title
Environmental Science and Technology Letters
Volume
9
Issue
8
Copyright Statement
© 2022 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society. This work is published under a CC BY licence.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.webofscience.com/api/gateway?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000831017400001&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
Subjects
carbon storage
CCS
CCS statistics
climate change mitigation
energy
Engineering
Engineering, Environmental
Environmental Sciences
Environmental Sciences & Ecology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Science & Technology
Technology
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2022-08-09