Energy partners trial diesel generator carbon capture in Western Australia

Energy company Horizon Power has completed a three-month trial of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technology for diesel generators, in partnership with Melbourne-based start-up Kapture.

The pilot, conducted in Perth, marked the first real-world deployment of Kapture’s system, which captures CO2 directly from generator exhaust and converts it into a storable sediment for later use in concrete production. 

In a previous project with Perth-based concrete manufacturer PERMAcast, Kapture demonstrated the permanent sequestration of captured carbon into concrete, replacing a portion of traditional cement ingredients with the carbon-rich byproduct. According to Kapture, the results of that demonstration “exceeded expectations.”

During the Perth trial, Horizon Power and Kapture used a standalone power system generator to evaluate the system’s impact on generator performance and carbon capture efficiency. 

The technology captured approximately 45% of CO2 emissions from the generator exhaust, while consuming less than 8% of the generator’s energy, lower than conventional carbon capture systems, which can consume between 20% and 45% of total output.

The capture technology uses a solvent, likely amine-based, to capture the emissions. These can degrade over time, leading to the release of unwanted compounds into the environment. 

According to Kapture, for every tonne of the company’s solvent used, 0.7 to 1.2 tons of CO2 emissions are offset during cement production.

“Diesel fuel is difficult and costly to abate in small regional microgrids. Horizon Power is focused on increasing the use of renewable energy in our systems, but in the meantime, it is important for us to do everything we can to reduce our carbon footprint.”said Acting CEO Krystal Skinner.

Diesel generators remain a critical but emissions-intensive part of remote microgrids in Western Australia, where renewable deployment is challenging. While Horizon Power is working to increase renewables across its systems, it said transitional technologies like Kapture’s could help cut emissions from existing infrastructure in the meantime.

However, small-scale CCUS remains costly. According to the International Energy Agency and Global CCS Institute, the cost of capturing and compressing CO2 from dilute sources such as diesel exhaust can range from $100 to $150 per tonne. 

Horizon Power said the results from the pilot will inform future in-field trials and its strategy for reducing emissions from existing diesel-based energy systems.