Can Government policy make the difference?: Analysis of the Long and Short-term prospects for Government Economic Policies to commercialise Carbon Capture and Storage, Biomass and reduced CO2 transport technologies in the UK

Description

The article analyses the capability of carbon abatement technologies to be made commercially viable by way of government policy incentives over a long and short-term time frame. It is concluded that Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Biomass require issues such as technological improvements and infrastructure scale up to be resolved positively to realise their long and short-term potential. Low CO2 transport meanwhile is highly dependent on the construction of infrastructure which commercial success with the other two technologies would instigate. Broader implications are also drawn by reference to the UK's advantages and disadvantages in the Global market. These reveal that the UK has strong opposition from foreign businesses in bio-fuels and low CO2 transport but can potentially perform CCS more economically due to its geographic location. The study draws on an interview conducted on 25th March with Dr. Peter Iron. Dr. Iron's career started in the UK where he worked for British coal researching clean coal technologies. After obtaining his PhD in Chemical Engineering at Imperial College he then moved to Australia to work as a senior research manager for CSIRO's (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) Low Emission Technology Centre in Brisbane Australia.