Techno-economic analysis of grid-connected Fast Charging Station using SMR and Renewables

Abstract

Renewable energy sources are known as the key to fighting climate change; however, their intermittency only makes their use viable and reliable if integrated with dispatchable sources. And this is where Nuclear Energy stands out as a promising alternative to seek sustainability in replacing fossil energy, especially by using Small Modular Reactors (SMR), which can offer a lower initial capital, greater scalability, and siting flexibility for locations. This paper presents a techno-economic analysis of a Fast-charging station (FCS) using SMR and Renewable energy sources (SMR-R) integrated with an Energy Storage System (ESS). This research uses an FCS connected to the utility grid as a conventional scenario to conduct an economic analysis using electricity pricing from a local company. The objective is to analyze the feasibility of replacing the traditional system for an FCS using SMR-R to create a sustainable, reliable and independent system, allowing reducing GHG emissions and installing systems where the utility grid is not available. The key parameter indicators used in this paper are the Total Net Present Cost, Cost of Energy, and GHG emissions.