The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy (FE) and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) have selected nine projects to receive approximately $6.5 million in federal funding. The University of Illinois is the recipient of $1,073,811 in research funds for large pilot testing of Linde/BASF Advanced Post-Combustion CO2 Capture Technology at a coal-fired power plant.
This funding opportunity announcement, issued in August 2017, is a $50 million funding opportunity for projects supporting cost-shared research and development to design, construct, and operate two large-scale pilots to demonstrate transformational coal technologies.
DOE has supported a range of potentially transformational coal technologies aimed at enabling step-change improvements in coal-powered systems. Some of these technologies are now ready to proceed to the large-scale pilot stage of development.
The University of Illinois, Champaign, project will design, construct, and operate an advanced post-combustion carbon dioxide (CO2) capture system at a coal-fired power plant. In Phase I, the University of Illinois will complete a feasibility study and select a host site; all in an effort to dramatically reduce CO2 from coal plants.
Illinois has a large interest in the research. Affordable coal generation helps keep Illinois’ electricity rates below the national average. And Illinois is a major coal producer with the fourth largest reserves in the U.S.
