Opportunities and Challenges for Nuclear-Renewable Hybrid Energy Systems

Conference · Wed Apr 03 04:00:00 EDT 2019

OSTI ID:1505927

Ruth, Mark F ^[1]; Spitsen, Paul ^[2]; Boardman, Richard ^[3]

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1. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
2. U.S. Department of Energy
3. Idaho National Laboratory

TTightly coupled nuclear-renewable hybrid energy systems (N-R HESs) are systems that link subsystems to generate dispatchable electricity and produce at least one industrial product from two or more energy resources. Because N-R HESs are designed to produce different products based on the value of those products in markets, their optimal designs and operations can be complex. This paper summarizes some key conclusions from a set of economic analyses of N-R HESs. Each N-R HES use case analyzed includes a nuclear reactor, a thermal power cycle to convert nuclear energy into electricity, either a wind or photovoltaic solar subsystem producing electricity, and an industrial process producing an energy or an industrial product. The analyses focused on identifying the optimal configuration and hours of operations for each N-R HES within ranges of hypothetical future electricity price profiles and industrial product prices. Four important insights are drawn from the results of those analyses.

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Strategic Priorities and Impact Analysis Office (EE-61)
• DOE Contract Number: AC36-08GO28308
• OSTI ID: 1505927
• Report Number(s): NREL/CP-6A20-72004
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
N-R HES
hybrid energy system
hydrogen
nuclear