The U.S. power sector decarbonization: Investigating technology options with MARKAL nine-region model

The results show that CO2 reduction policies accelerate the deployment of renewables and carbon capture and storage (CCS) only in the scenarios where the decarbonization policies are more stringent than those in the Clean Power Plan (CPP). Electricity generation mixes in the reference scenarios are largely dependent on the price of natural gas, but also show significant sensitivity to cost reductions in CCS. When increased CCS learning rates are incorporated into the model runs, more CCS is optimal in the medium-term and long-term future in the scenarios with CO2 constraints. An 80% reduction scenario also prompts electrification in end-use demand sectors, creating even more dependence on CO2 management in the electricity generation sector.