Amortized Cost of Electricity from Solar Power Stations with Thermal Storage vs. Pulverized Coal Facility with Amine-Scrubbing

The goal of this paper is to compare the amortized cost of electricity from two different types of solar thermal energy technologies with the cost of electricity from a coal-fired power plant utilizing newly developed carbon capture (amine-scrubbing) technology. Coal, natural gas, and nuclear fuels are the dominant sources of electrical energy in the United States. Currently, the primary source of electricity in the United States is coal. 1 According to the Energy Information Analysis, 45.9% of electric power in the United States was generated from coal in January 2011. Coal has been widely used for energy generation since the Industrial Revolution of the 1800's, after the invention of the coal-powered steam engine. 2 The infrastructure for generating electricity from coal has existed for much longer than the infrastructure for energy generation through nuclear fissions or natural gas combustion. Coal has been burned for electricity production since the 1880's. By comparison, the first nuclear fission power plant was constructed in 1954. 3 The current quantity of coal reserves is expected to last for 129 years at the current rate of production. 4 The