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Integrated Nuclear – Renewable Energy Systems Development Shannon Bragg-Sitton, Ph.D. Nuclear Science & Technology shannon.bragg-sitton@inl.gov 208.526.2367

Richard Boardman, Ph.D. Energy and Environment Science & Technology richard.boardman@inl.gov 208.526.3083 INL Co-Leads, Integrated Nuclear-Renewable Energy Systems Overview for IAEA Flexible Operations Technical Meeting Erlangen, Germany October 7, 2014 summary of INL/MIS-14-32387

Motivation • EPA Section 111(b) of the Clean Air Act:

– Federal program for new, modified and reconstructed sources – Limits CO2 emissions from new natural gas and coal plants http://www.c2es.org/federal/executive/epa/ghg-standards-for-new-power-plants

• EPA Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act: June 2, 2014: The Environmental Protection Agency proposes cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from existing power plants by 30% by 2030. (State-based programs for existing sources) – Target reduction is based on 2005 emissions. – EPA projects that coal-fired electricity will drop under this plan to

approximately 30% of the U.S. energy supply (down from 37% in 2012) to meet this requirement. – States will have flexibility in complying with this rule.

What does this mean for our future electricity mix? In the next 30 years, we expect to see substantial change in energy systems as the lifetime of existing plants draws to a close and new plants are built with the EPA goals in mind.

Problem Statement 1.  Increasing global concerns regarding climate change have resulted in

requirements to significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the coming decades. [Goal: 80% of electrical power from “clean” energy sources by 2035.] http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/01/25/remarks-president-state-union-address

2.  Non-emitting renewable resources are being added to the grid in increasing numbers to meet the state and federal policy goals – leading to an increased need for grid flexibility.

3.  Increased role of intermittent renewables in many regions can lead to more frequent occurrences of low or negative electricity prices at times of high wind or solar output, reduced baseload generator market size and associated baseload generator power reductions (e.g. load-following operation). Can lead to decreased capital deployment efficiencies and declining business cases for baseload and renewable technologies.

4.  The carbon footprint of all energy segments of the U.S. economy must be significantly reduced if long-term climate goals are to be met.

In the next 30 years, we expect to see substantial change in energy systems as the lifetime of existing plants draws to a close and new plants are built with the EPA goals in mind.

Simulated dispatch in California for a Spring day as the fraction of electricity produced by PV is increased from zero to 10% (annual average). [Denholm 2008]

-5,000

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

PV Penetration and Hour

Gene

ratio

n (M

W)

PV

GasTurbinePumpedStorageHydro

CombinedCycleImports

Coal

Nuclear

Wind

Geo

Exports

Base 2% 6% 10% (no PV)

Unused Generating Capacity and Price Collapse

Unstable Electrical Grid

Non-Dispatchable Renewables Create Electricity Grid Challenges

Energy Security: A Balance of Priorities

SAFE

Clean

Resilient Reliable

Low greenhouse gas emissions Reduced water withdrawals Reduced land impacts

Reasonable TOTAL costs Predictable, stable price Marketable in free-economy

Adapts to resource characteristics Adjusts to market demands Capable of meeting new regulations

Available on demand Continuous quality Easily maintainable

Domestic source Physical & cyber protection

Representative Wind Generation Profile in Wyoming

Peaking power is expensive due to

low capital utilization

Peak Power

As we deploy an increasing amount of renewables, we will address the impact to power dynamics on the grid…

1 year

1 week

1.  Modify system operations. Increased frequency of grid dispatch and improved wind and solar forecasting for improved efficiency. (limited)

2.  Expand high-voltage transmission infrastructure. Expand interconnections with adjacent balancing areas, enable grid-scale electricity storage, decrease congestion in electricity markets. (can be rather costly to implement)

3.  Enroll demand-side resources. Innovative information and communications technologies enable coordinated utilization of demand response, distributed generation, and storage resources across the residential, commercial and industrial sectors – help to provide flexibility to the bulk power sector.

4.  Enroll dispatchable generation to operate flexibly. •  Flexible operation limited by technical constraints (max turn-down, ramp

rates) •  Flexible operation of baseload resources reduces capital deployment

efficiency (wasted thermal energy), increases O&M costs due to thermal cycling, possibility for shortened plant life

•  Limited zero-carbon options for flexible generation 5.  Enter a new operational paradigm…

Possible Solution Space

5.  Enter a new operational paradigm ! Integrated industrial-scale energy systems with internally managed resources versus a hybrid grid •  Integration of generation sources behind the electrical bus •  Offers opportunity to operate baseload generation sources

in a “load-dynamic” rather than “load-following” fashion •  Reliably and flexibly provide electricity to meet grid demand •  At times of low electricity demand (or high renewable

generation), provide thermal energy input to alternate applications Ø  minimize cycling of baseload systems Ø  maximize capital deployment efficiency

Possible Solution Space

Ener

gy C

urre

ncy Energy Storage

Generalized Architecture

Key take-away: Thermal energy

re-purposing and storage helps smooth large-scale variability in the system while operating the

reactor at steady state.

Batteries, electric vehicles and SMART buildings help to

smooth local and instantaneous variability in the system.

Integrated systems require the design and operation

of nuclear reactors, energy storage / recovery buffers,

and dynamically responsive interfaces with the electrical grid.

Renewable Thermal/Electrical Energy Input

Nuclear Thermal Energy Input

May require hydrocarbon and input of other natural resources

Why nuclear-renewable integration?

•  Diversity of generation sources helps to establish reliable supply •  Offers opportunity to produce revenue from a variety of product streams –

opens markets for thermal energy beyond baseload power

•  Avoids economic inefficiencies of underutilized capacity

•  Promotes better usage of carbon resources, including coal, natural gas and biomass, while reducing GHG environmental impact

•  Integration enables higher penetration of renewables through incorporation of dynamic generation and energy storage capacity – overcomes challenges of intermittency and constraints in existing transmission interconnections – Renewable energy sources (e.g. wind and solar) capture available energy from the

environment and produce zero-carbon emissions as they are used to generate electricity; intermittent availability – cannot achieve operation as baseload generation sources without significant storage

– Nuclear systems offer very high energy density, high temperature heat and low carbon footprint while maintaining a track record for high reliability, high capacity factors, and operational safety

Energy Systems Integration •  Vision:

The U.S. desires to achieve maximum utilization of our vast domestic energy resources to meet our growing energy needs in an environmentally responsible and economic manner.

•  Goals / Purpose: –  Provide reliable, on-demand electricity; – Optimize the value of intermittent clean energy technologies; – Maximize system efficiency through the production of non-electric commodities.

•  Challenges: –  Integration Value: Possibility for integration to increase the value of system components;

added risk of integration relative to improvement in efficiency and energy availability. –  Technical: Novel subsystem interfaces; ramping performance; advanced

instrumentation and control for reliable system operation; commercial readiness. –  Financial: Business model; cost and arrangement of financing and risk/profit taking

agreements; risks of market and policy evolution; capacity factors (capital utilization). – Regulatory: Projected environmental regulations; deregulated/regulated energy

markets; licensing of a co-located, integrated system; involvement of various regulatory bodies for each subsystem and possible “interface” issues.

–  Timeframe: Resolution of issues/challenges within the timeframe established based on external motivators (e.g. EPA recommendations).

NE-RE Collaborative Project •  INL – NREL whitepaper describes the proposed path forward:

“Nuclear-Renewable Energy Systems Integration Assessment and Deployment Roadmap Plan”

• Currently establishing formal collaboration between DOE Office of Nuclear Energy and DOE Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy to advance integrated energy systems development – NE Lead Lab: Idaho National Laboratory (with collaboration from additional labs) –  EERE Lead Lab: National Renewable Energy Laboratory – University Partner: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (w/additional universities)

• Current Work: – Conduct Foundational Workshop (July 2014, Idaho Falls) – Report to be distributed – Market Analysis and Stakeholder Engagement – Develop Economic Assessment Tools –  Perform Region-Specific Case Studies – Define Experimental Infrastructure Needs and Current Availability –  Prepare Technology Development Roadmap

Foundational Workshop •  Goal: Establish an collaborative interlab / university / industry team for

integrated energy systems development. –  Participation from DOE, government laboratories, academia, industry (nuclear,

renewable, chemical), power systems and grid, energy leaders and state government

•  A general brainstorming activity by the entire group effectively narrowed and reinforced the overarching goals of integrated NE-RE systems to the following: – Develop energy systems that can support economic health and quality of life – Control GHG emissions – Utilize domestic resources – Demonstrate a business case that supports industry, economy, and service-providers

• Key Figures of Merit identified by stakeholders: –  Financial pro forma analyses – need a good business case –  Environmental greenhouse gas emissions – needs to be environmentally responsible –  Provides / establishes national energy security – Near-term deployability – Grid reliability

Regional Case Studies •  For initial discussion, the U.S. was divided into 8 regions based on resources,

traditional industrial processes, energy delivery infrastructure, and markets

Pacific Northwest

Mountain West

Southwest

Agricultural Midwest

Gulf Coast

Southeast

Industrial Midwest / Northeast

Southern California

Example: Agricultural Midwest Participant feedback suggested: –  Investigation of fuels/synfuels,

chemicals, and transportation options

– Consider district heating opportunities

– Consider iron processing –  Possible evolutionary

development process: NG-wind, then nuclear-wind

Example: Mountain West Participant feedback suggested: –  Possible addition of geothermal resources – Consideration of coal-to-synfuels – Hydrogen production

as an interface; provides chemical feedstock to upgrade fossil fuels

Example: Southwest Participant feedback suggested: –  Possible use of

solar PV, land-based wind

– Replacement of hydrogen production with desalination

Alternative desalination process, requires thermal and electrical input:

Real Time Integration Scaled Experimental Representation

Numerical Representation

Progression of Integrated Energy Systems Analysis

Integrated Systems

-Complexity- Coal/Conventional

Nuclear

Solar/Wind

Gas Turbines Thermal Users Energy

Storage

Smart Grids

SMRs

Understanding, Designing, Optimization

Shannon.Bragg-Sitton@inl.gov