By Jeff McMahon

A potential breakthrough technology is being tested in Houston—a new kind of natural-gas power plant that captures and reuses what normally goes up the smokestack: carbon dioxide, heat, and water.

If it works, NET Power’s natural-gas plant promises no carbon emissions and no water use—it produces water instead—and this is the clincher: it promises to produce electricity at a cost competitive with existing power plants.

But the concept endured another kind of test last week in Chicago: the scrutiny of a roomful of academics, many of whom raised questions about how and whether the plant will work.

“What are the potential challenges and roadblocks for this?” a woman asked NET Power CEO Bill Brown at the University of Chicago on Wednesday. “It sounds almost a little bit too good to be true.”

Continue reading at Forbes…

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Areas of Focus: Energy Markets
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Energy Markets
Well-functioning markets are essential for providing access to reliable, affordable energy. EPIC research is uncovering the policies, prices and information needed to help energy markets work efficiently.
Fossil Fuels
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Fossil Fuels
Under current policies, fossil fuels will play an important role in the energy system for the foreseeable future. EPIC research is exploring the costs and benefits of these fuels as...
Climate Change
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Climate Change
Climate change is an urgent global challenge. EPIC research is helping to assess its impacts, quantify its costs, and identify an efficient set of policies to reduce emissions and adapt...
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Climate Science
EPIC’s interdisciplinary team of researchers is contributing to a cross-cutting body of knowledge on the scientific causes of climate change and its social consequences.
Fossil Fuels
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Fossil Fuels
Under current policies, fossil fuels will play an important role in the energy system for the foreseeable future. EPIC research is exploring the costs and benefits of these fuels as...