LG&E and KU partner with the University of Kentucky on environmental research project
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
By Jennifer Whelan
The U.S. Department of Energy recently announced that it is granting the University of Kentucky Research Foundation $14.5 million to support the study of capturing carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants in an effort to create cleaner-burning coal technology. The grant will enable researchers at UK’s Center for Applied Energy Research to field test technology they develop at Kentucky Utilities’ E.W. Brown plant in Harrodsburg, Ky. The grant is one of only four that are awarded nationally each year.
In addition to the federal grant, state and industry partners will contribute another $4.9 million to the project.
While UK is leading the research, the project also is supported by LG&E and KU, Duke Energy, Kentucky Power Co., East Kentucky Power Cooperative and the Electric Power Research Institute. All entities will share the cost of the research and technology designed to capture carbon dioxide.
According to researchers at the university, the grant dollars will put Kentucky in a leading position of developing methods to retrofit existing power plants in an effort to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The goal is to develop technology that will remove at least 90 percent of the carbon dioxide emitted from a power plant, with no more than a 35 percent increase in the cost of electricity.
UK researchers plan to launch the first system at E.W. Brown, which will use waste heat to make the plant more energy efficient.
So what does this mean to LG&E and KU and our customers? It’s an important step in the study and future implementation of carbon capture at coal-fired generating stations. We have the opportunity to develop new technology in our own backyard that could have a significant impact on power generation and the environment for years to come.
LG&E and KU have a long history of collaborating with the state’s universities on developing and testing technologies that further reduce emissions from coal-fired electric generation. For more information on LG&E and KU’s projects and partnerships, visit our Environmental Research and Development site.
In addition to the federal grant, state and industry partners will contribute another $4.9 million to the project.
While UK is leading the research, the project also is supported by LG&E and KU, Duke Energy, Kentucky Power Co., East Kentucky Power Cooperative and the Electric Power Research Institute. All entities will share the cost of the research and technology designed to capture carbon dioxide.
According to researchers at the university, the grant dollars will put Kentucky in a leading position of developing methods to retrofit existing power plants in an effort to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The goal is to develop technology that will remove at least 90 percent of the carbon dioxide emitted from a power plant, with no more than a 35 percent increase in the cost of electricity.
UK researchers plan to launch the first system at E.W. Brown, which will use waste heat to make the plant more energy efficient.
So what does this mean to LG&E and KU and our customers? It’s an important step in the study and future implementation of carbon capture at coal-fired generating stations. We have the opportunity to develop new technology in our own backyard that could have a significant impact on power generation and the environment for years to come.
LG&E and KU have a long history of collaborating with the state’s universities on developing and testing technologies that further reduce emissions from coal-fired electric generation. For more information on LG&E and KU’s projects and partnerships, visit our Environmental Research and Development site.
Labels:
Department of Energy,
Environmental
