Optimizing CCS Retrofit Configuration for Coal-Fired Power Plants Considering Flexibility Enhancement Strategy

Carbon capture and storage(CCS), as a promising low-carbon technology, offers a new opportunity to decarbonize coal-fired power plants rather than early retirement in approaching the carbon neutrality in power systems. However, the energy penalty and capacity discount associated with CCS system raise uncertainties regarding its economic viability. Besides, the efficiency loss is yet to be improved although the regulation ability of coal-fired could be enhanced by solvent-based flexibility measures. Consequently, an optimization model integrating annual 8760-hour operation simulation for CCS retrofit and configuration for coal-fired plant is developed in this study. The hourly operation for coal-fired plants retrofitted with CCS is modelled using a mixed linear programming. The capacity of electrical boiler and the volume for solvent tanks are optimized to enhance the operation flexibility while considering the economic factor. The case study on a typical coal-fired plant demonstrates that the improved model increases annual revenue by 22% and reduces CO<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf> emissions by 77.8<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">%</sup>, showcasing the effectiveness of flexibility enhancement in CCS retrofit decisions.