Transition from coal to nuclear to decarbonize the network
We love big projects here at Hackaday, and one of the biggest ones going on is the decarbonization of the power grid. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently released a report (PDF) on how installing nuclear reactors at coal-fired power plant sites in the United States could help bring us closer to the zero-carbon grid of our dreams.
After evaluating active and recently retired coal-fired power plants in the United States, the researchers determined that approximately 80% of medium and large coal-fired power plants would be good candidates for conversion from coal to nuclear (C2N). Up to 263 GWe could be installed at more than 315 different sites across the country, which would be more than the 145 GWe expected to be taken offline when the country's remaining coal-fired power plants close. Locating nuclear reactors at these existing sites could reduce installation costs by 15-35% while providing jobs for workers in the region who might otherwise be displaced when coal-fired plants close. Local greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions could drop by up to 86%, along with a significant drop in other air pollutants, which would be another win for the communities living and working around these coal-fired power plants.
Nuclear power is certainly not without its drawbacks, but new reactor designs like TerraPower's Natrium promise lower costs than current light water reactor designs while being able to reuse spent fuel of our current nuclear fleet. TerraPower is developing the first C2N project in the United States at the Naughton Power Plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming.
We recently covered cogeneration and district heating which would benefit from an increase in nuclear power, but if that sounds too entrenched, could we suggest space solar?
We love big projects here at Hackaday, and one of the biggest ones going on is the decarbonization of the power grid. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently released a report (PDF) on how installing nuclear reactors at coal-fired power plant sites in the United States could help bring us closer to the zero-carbon grid of our dreams.
After evaluating active and recently retired coal-fired power plants in the United States, the researchers determined that approximately 80% of medium and large coal-fired power plants would be good candidates for conversion from coal to nuclear (C2N). Up to 263 GWe could be installed at more than 315 different sites across the country, which would be more than the 145 GWe expected to be taken offline when the country's remaining coal-fired power plants close. Locating nuclear reactors at these existing sites could reduce installation costs by 15-35% while providing jobs for workers in the region who might otherwise be displaced when coal-fired plants close. Local greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions could drop by up to 86%, along with a significant drop in other air pollutants, which would be another win for the communities living and working around these coal-fired power plants.
Nuclear power is certainly not without its drawbacks, but new reactor designs like TerraPower's Natrium promise lower costs than current light water reactor designs while being able to reuse spent fuel of our current nuclear fleet. TerraPower is developing the first C2N project in the United States at the Naughton Power Plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming.
We recently covered cogeneration and district heating which would benefit from an increase in nuclear power, but if that sounds too entrenched, could we suggest space solar?
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