Hype among low-carbon technologies: Carbon capture and storage in comparison |
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| Institution: | 1. UiS Business School, University of Stavanger, Norway;2. Cañada Blanch Centre and Department of Geography and Environment, London School of Economics and Political Science, United Kingdom;1. Biomedical Research Institute, Darfur College, Sudan;2. Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of Khartoum, Sudan;3. School of Medicine and Surgery, Darfur College, Sudan;4. Department Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, Jiangsu Province, China;5. Department of Sociology, School of Public Administration, Hohai University, Nanjing, China;6. Department of Demography and Social Statistics, Obafemi Awolowo University, Osun State, Nigeria;7. Organization of African Academic Doctor (OAAD), Off Kamiti Road, P.OBox 25305000100, Nairobi, Kenya;1. Trenchless Technology Center, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA 71270, United States;2. State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu 610500, China;3. China Center for Information Industry Development, Beijing 100048, China;4. College of Humanities and Communications, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China |
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| Abstract: | Carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) technology has become a crucial part of climate change mitigation strategies around the world; yet its progress has been slow. Some have criticised CCS as a distracting hype, even as mainstream support continues. This article adapts the literature on technological hypes to develop a framework suitable for technologies with limited media/public exposure, such as CCS. It provides a qualitative context and analyses seven quantitative indicators of hype that are largely internal to the CCS technology regime. Throughout, the article contrasts results for CCS with those of comparable technologies. The main findings, which support the view that CCS has been hyped, are as follows. “Expectations” mounted rapidly in the form of project announcements for electricity applications of CCS and deployment forecasts in influential reports. However, announcements soon plummeted. “Commitments” remained high, nonetheless, judging by allocations in public budgets and number of peer-reviewed publications. Meanwhile, “outcomes”—in terms of patents, prototypes and estimated costs—reveal few if any improvements for CCS. Considering these findings and the characteristics of CCS, its development is likely to be more difficult than initially expected. Accordingly, this article calls for decisively prioritising CCS for industrial and, potentially, bioenergy uses. Coal- and gas-fired power plants may be replaced by non-CCS technologies, so power CCS development is far less pressing. |
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| Keywords: | Carbon capture and storage Hype R&D Climate policy Technology policy Solar thermal power |
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