The eternal promise of carbon capture, utilisation and storage: Is there a business case?

IF 7.4 2区经济学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Energy Research & Social Science Pub Date : 2025-08-30 DOI:10.1016/j.erss.2025.104308

Katariina Buure

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technologies are often described as essential tools for meeting global climate goals and are regularly included in international climate strategies. However, their large-scale implementation remains limited, raising questions about their practical viability. This research examines how CCUS technologies and their commercial promise have evolved over time. To trace changing narratives and expectations, publicly available scientific and technical reports published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the International Energy Agency between 1990 and 2023 were analysed. In addition, practical insights were gathered through semi-structured interviews with stakeholders from academia and business to assess current views on CCUS deployment and its commercial potential. Findings indicate that while interest in CCUS technologies has grown over time, actual deployment continues to lag far behind the levels required to meet earlier projections and climate targets. Financial and regulatory challenges remain persistent obstacles. By combining document analysis with stakeholder insights, this research contributes to the understanding of the structural and discursive factors that shape the persistent gap between CCUS’s theoretical promise and its real-world outcomes.

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碳捕获、利用和封存的永恒承诺：有商业案例吗？

碳捕获、利用和封存（CCUS）技术通常被描述为实现全球气候目标的重要工具，并定期被纳入国际气候战略。然而，它们的大规模实施仍然有限，对它们的实际可行性提出了质疑。本研究考察了CCUS技术及其商业前景如何随着时间的推移而演变。为了追踪不断变化的叙述和期望，分析了政府间气候变化专门委员会（ipcc）和国际能源署（iea）在1990年至2023年间发表的公开的科学和技术报告。此外，通过与学术界和商界的利益相关者进行半结构化访谈，收集了实际见解，以评估目前对CCUS部署及其商业潜力的看法。调查结果表明，尽管对CCUS技术的兴趣随着时间的推移而增长，但实际部署仍然远远落后于满足早期预测和气候目标所需的水平。金融和监管挑战仍然是持续存在的障碍。通过将文献分析与利益相关者见解相结合，本研究有助于理解形成CCUS理论承诺与其现实结果之间持续差距的结构和话语因素。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Energy Research & Social Science ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES-

CiteScore

14.00

自引率

16.40%

发文量

441

审稿时长

55 days

期刊介绍： Energy Research & Social Science (ERSS) is a peer-reviewed international journal that publishes original research and review articles examining the relationship between energy systems and society. ERSS covers a range of topics revolving around the intersection of energy technologies, fuels, and resources on one side and social processes and influences - including communities of energy users, people affected by energy production, social institutions, customs, traditions, behaviors, and policies - on the other. Put another way, ERSS investigates the social system surrounding energy technology and hardware. ERSS is relevant for energy practitioners, researchers interested in the social aspects of energy production or use, and policymakers. Energy Research & Social Science (ERSS) provides an interdisciplinary forum to discuss how social and technical issues related to energy production and consumption interact. Energy production, distribution, and consumption all have both technical and human components, and the latter involves the human causes and consequences of energy-related activities and processes as well as social structures that shape how people interact with energy systems. Energy analysis, therefore, needs to look beyond the dimensions of technology and economics to include these social and human elements.