skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: A Look at the U.S. Energy System – A Strategic Impact Model (2050 SIM)

Conference ·

The United States (U.S.) energy infrastructure is among the most reliable, accessible, and economical in the world. On the other hand, it is also excessively reliant on foreign energy sources, experiences high volatility in energy prices, does not always practice good stewardship of finite indigenous energy resources, and emits significant quantities of greenhouse gases. The U.S. Department of Energy is conducting research and development on advanced nuclear reactor concepts and technologies, including High Temperature Gas Reactor (HTGR) technologies, directed at helping the United States meet its current and future energy challenges. This paper discusses the systematic approach used to develop the 2050 Strategic Impact Model (2050 SIM), which allows the user to analyze and depict the benefits of various energy sources in meeting the energy demand. It also provides an overall systems understanding of the tradeoffs between building and using HTGRs versus other existing technologies for providing energy (heat and electricity) to various energy-use sectors in the United States. This paper also provides the assumptions used in the model, the rational for the methodology, and the references for the source documentation and source data used in developing 2050 SIM.

Research Organization:
Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
DOE - NE
DOE Contract Number:
DE-AC07-05ID14517
OSTI ID:
1027893
Report Number(s):
INL/CON-10-20317; TRN: US201121%%623
Resource Relation:
Journal Volume: 21; Journal Issue: 1; Conference: INCOSE 2011 - 21st Annual Symposium of the International Council on Systems Engineering,Denver, CO,06/20/2011,06/23/2011
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English