In light of the current climate crisis context, utmost effort should be directed towards climate mitigation activities. Amongst them, the sustainable and cost-effective deployment of Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) solutions is integral to meeting global climate goals. As some CDR will have direct interaction with power, either by consuming or by producing it, it is imperative to measure the different impacts that CDR operations may have on the energy, and more specifically, the power system. Additionally, the fervour surrounding carbon removal frequently disregards one of its most significant facets: its permanence. Because of the long life of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, politics, with the help of the scientific community, needs to incorporate the long-term effects of CO2 emissions in today’s decisions. Equivalently, fungibility between removals and emissions must be carefully monitored.
In this thesis, we propose a framework for co-optimizing the power and CDR sectors, using the UK as a case study. We identify techno-economically and biogeophysically feasible pathways to meeting the net zero targets through the deployment of a range of CDR methods. We find that biomass availability is crucial to meet national targets, through the deployment of BECCS and biochar. When biomass is abundant, BECCS plays a significant role in achieving net zero targets, and natural gas with CCS and intermittent renewables are less important. Furthermore, we propose a climate repair value metric to assess the permanent cost of each CDR solution. Through this metric, geological storage demonstrates significantly greater permanence when compared to less secure CDR methods, such as biochar or afforestation.
This thesis aims to convey clear messages to policymakers and corporations operating in the CDR or energy sector by offering valuable insights into the implementation of a permanent CDR portfolio to achieve climate commitments and their implications in the national power mix.