On Methods for Maturity Assessment of CO2 Capture Technologies

AbstractDifferent established methods for maturity assessment of a technology are in use by industry, of which Technology Readiness Level (TRL) is one of the most applied metrics. TRLs indicate the degree of development of a technology and are normally used to communicate the maturity status at high level. In this work a review of different methods including DNV's approach for risk-based technology qualification and the TRL approach is provided and pros and cons associated with the use of TRLs are discussed. Existence of several TRL scales makes it difficult for technology developers to communicate the status of their technology. Moreover, existing methods have limitations as to how different technologies can be compared on a fair basis. Given the considerable R&D efforts being made in development of carbon capture and storage (CCS), establishing a common platform for maturity assessment of various CO2 capture technologies on an unbiased basis is suggested. One way of doing so could be through combining a risk-based qualification approach with generic TRL scales tailor made for CO2 capture technologies