Preferences, strategies, and policies for net zero carbon electricity products

净零碳电力产品的偏好、策略和政策

• 批准号: 2308737
• 负责人: Mahelet Fikru
• 金额: $ 15万
• 依托单位: Missouri University of Science and Technology
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-08-15 至 2026-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2308737&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Preferences; strategies; policies; net; zero

Preferences, strategies, and policies for net-zero carbon electricity productsA growing number of jurisdictions are improving legislative frameworks and designing financial incentives to encourage multiple net-zero emission technologies in order to reduce the environmental impact of electricity generation. However, electricity generation remains a significant contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. For example, 60% of electricity is still produced from burning fossil fuels. Carbon capture technologies have the potential to enable a sustainable electricity system, by capturing large quantities of carbon dioxide for permanent geological storage or utilization in industrial processes. Even if this technology is fast improving, only a handful of power generators have invested in carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) at a commercial scale. This is due to uncertainties in investment rate of return and other types of barriers (e.g., regulatory, institutional, public opposition, etc.). Moreover, carbon capture is not a stand-alone solution to achieving a net-zero electricity product. Producing net-zero electricity also requires a substantial shift away from fossil to renewable energy sources to produce carbon-free energy, in part due to consumer preferences for cleaner and greener sources of electricity. Recent studies also suggest that the rising competition from renewable energy technologies could create obstacles for the large-scale deployment of CCUS technologies. The degree of strategic relationship between investments in CCUS technologies versus renewable energy technologies is poorly understood. It is not yet known what combinations of these two technologies would help the nation achieve climate change goals cost-effectively. Most importantly, while consumer preference for greener energy is fairly understood, it is not well known to what extent energy consumers value the net-zero attribute of electricity achieved via CCUS technologies rather than through cleaner production. Moreover, policies designed to incentivize one investment could potentially alter incentives in the other market.This research advances our understanding of what factors are likely to have a significant impact on investment decisions regarding the adoption of one or multiple carbon mitigation technologies among power generators. This research also provides insights into the public’s preference for CCUS over renewable energy to achieve climate change goals in the energy industry. Policymakers will benefit from understanding potential trade-offs or synergies resulting from incentivizing multiple technologies at different levels. The research develops a conceptual framework where net-zero electricity can be achieved through cleaner production, CCUS, or a combination of both, and this product/service is differentiated from a traditional electricity product. Under this framework, the research team examines individual preferences for net-zero electricity products and the means of achieving it; uses economic efficiency criteria to evaluate alternative policy approaches that incentivize investments in multiple carbon mitigation strategies; and studies the strategic behavior of power generators when comparing the option to invest in cleaner production versus carbon capture technologies. Research objectives are achieved by administering surveys and developing economic models of optimization. Surveys are used to understand the public’s preference for carbon mitigation technologies (carbon capture, renewable production) and the means of achieving net-zero energy goals. The economic model features power generators and their investment decisions given market, technical, and policy parameters. The model predicts how generators are expected to respond to changes in climate policies and changes in investment costs. The research provides a theoretical foundation and an evidence-based solution that can be used by power generators to make investment decisions that are consistent with consumer preferences. The study also informs policymaking by identifying approaches that are likely to be cost-effective in addressing broader decarbonization and energy transition goals.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

净零碳电力产品的偏好，策略和政策不断增长的司法管辖区正在改善立法框架和设计经济激励措施，以鼓励多种零零排放技术，以减少发电的环境影响。但是，电力发电仍然是温室气体（GHG）排放的重要贡献者。例如，燃烧化石燃料仍会产生60％的电力。碳捕获技术有可能通过捕获大量的二氧化碳来实现可持续的电力系统，以实现工业过程中的永久地质存储或利用。即使这项技术正在快速改进，也只有少数发电机以商业规模投资于碳捕获，利用和存储（CCUS）。这是由于投资回报率和其他类型的障碍（例如监管，机构，公共反对派等）的不确定性。此外，碳捕获并不是实现净零电产品的独立解决方案。产生零净电力还需要从化石到可再生能源的次要转移，以产生无碳的能源，部分原因是消费者对清洁和较绿色的电源的偏好。最近的研究还表明，可再生能源技术的竞争不断上升，可能会为大规模部署CCUS技术造成障碍。对CCUS技术与可再生能源技术的投资之间的战略关系程度知之甚少。尚不知道这两种技术的哪种组合将有助于国家实现气候变化目标的成本效益。最重要的是，尽管对消费者对绿色能源的偏好是相当了解的，但尚不清楚能源消费者在多大程度上重视通过CCUS技术实现的电力净零属性而不是通过清洁的生产。此外，旨在激励一项投资的政策可能会改变另一个市场的激励措施。这项研究促进了我们对哪些因素可能对投资决策产生重大影响的理解，这些决策在发电机之间采用一种或多种碳缓解技术。这项研究还提供了有关公众对CCUS而不是可再生能源的偏爱，以实现能源行业的气候变化目标。政策制定者将受益于了解在不同级别上增加多种技术导致的潜在权衡或协同作用。该研究开发了一个概念框架，可以通过清洁生产，CCU或两者组合来实现净零电力，并且该产品/服务与传统的电力产品有所不同。在此框架下，研究团队研究了对零净电力产品的个人偏好及其实现它的手段。使用经济效率标准来评估替代政策方法，以激励多种碳缓解策略的投资；并研究发电机在比较投资清洁生产与碳捕获技术的选项时的战略行为。通过管理调查和发展优化的经济模型来实现研究目标。调查用于了解公众对缓解碳降低技术的偏爱（碳捕获，可再生生产）和实现零净能源目标的手段。经济模型以市场，技术和政策参数为特色，其发电机及其投资决策。该模型预测发电机如何应对气候政策变化和投资成本变化。该研究提供了理论基础和基于证据的解决方案，该解决方案可以由发电机可以用来制定与消费者偏好一致的投资决策。该研究还通过确定可能在解决更广泛的脱碳和能源​​过渡目标方面具有成本效益的方法来告知决策。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是通过基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响来通过评估来获得支持的支持。