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Review of integration of small modular reactors in renewable energy microgrids

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  • Michaelson, D.
  • Jiang, J.

Abstract

Integration of renewable energy sources in the form of microgrids can increase the resilience of power systems and decrease their carbon footprints. However, renewable energy sources are intermittent in nature, and their availability can vary significantly with weather and the seasons. Energy storage can be used to make up for the resulting imbalance between supply and demand to a certain degree, but installing large-scale storage for this purpose can be uneconomical. Hence, other types of power sources are often still required, and in many systems this power is provided by diesel generators. The emerging small modular reactor (SMR) technologies can potentially replace these sources with cleaner options. These new reactors feature passive safety systems, long refueling intervals, and have provisions for load-following, allowing them to complement the renewable sources and provide a reliable, dispatchable, low-carbon solution for both electricity generation and district/process heat production. Key issues and approaches are examined and existing works are reviewed to show how SMRs can be integrated into microgrids effectively as a clean and sustainable energy supply.

Suggested Citation

  • Michaelson, D. & Jiang, J., 2021. "Review of integration of small modular reactors in renewable energy microgrids," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:152:y:2021:i:c:s1364032121009138
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2021.111638
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Dong, Zhe & Li, Bowen & Huang, Xiaojin & Dong, Yujie & Zhang, Zuoyi, 2022. "Power-pressure coordinated control of modular high temperature gas-cooled reactors," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 252(C).
    2. Qiu, Leilei & Liao, Shengyong & Fan, Sui & Sun, Peiwei & Wei, Xinyu, 2023. "Dynamic modelling and control system design of micro-high-temperature gas-cooled reactor with helium brayton cycle," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 278(PB).
    3. Pablo Fernández-Arias & Diego Vergara & Álvaro Antón-Sancho, 2023. "Bibliometric Review and Technical Summary of PWR Small Modular Reactors," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-15, July.
    4. Haneklaus, Nils & Qvist, Staffan & Gładysz, Paweł & Bartela, Łukasz, 2023. "Why coal-fired power plants should get nuclear-ready," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 280(C).
    5. Niwagira Daniel & Juyoul Kim, 2022. "A Study on Integrating SMRs into Uganda’s Future Energy System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-21, August.

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