Business Model for a Nuclear Hybrid Energy System

Abstract

Business and university campuses offer a unique opportunity for Small Modular Reactor (SMR) application. A district heating system centered in the vicinity of a central plant can be used to efficiently heat the buildings and provide a domestic hot water in these campuses, and when paired with cogeneration can offset natural gas usage significantly. In the present work, a business model was developed, with a micro SMR used as the central heating plant, where the heat to power ratio was thermodynamically determined. The SMR was integrated with a district heating system for efficient and clean energy supply. Three different SMR integrated energy scenarios were defined and optimized using the Hybrid Energy System Optimization (HESO) model. The modelling results indicated that Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions can be reduced by up to 67% as compared to the use of a natural gas system alone. One of the benefits of the modular nuclear reactors is the capability to add additional units as power demand increases. The upfront capital cost of the district heating is a key challenge to adoption of the nuclear hybrid energy system. The use of thermal energy from SMR is an effective way to maximize GHG reduction.