The IAEA is launching a study on hybrid nuclear renewable energy systems: energy and the environment

May 21, 2021

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is launching a new coordinated research project (CRP) aimed at improving understanding of the role, performance and impact of hybrid nuclear renewable energy systems in meeting current and future energy needs. The three-year project aims to support the development of data and analysis with the aim of moving these systems towards commercial delivery.

As part of the new CRP, the IAEA will promote comprehensive training programs for university graduates on technical aspects of renewable hybrid hybrid systems, which will be conducted for students from countries dealing with nuclear energy (Image: H ur Rehman / IAEA).

“Two main low-carbon energy options are nuclear and renewable. However, synergies between these energy production options have yet to be fully characterized and exploited, and the benefits and challenges of integrating these production options are only now being explored,” the IAEA says in the call for proposals Research proposals. “Hybrid nuclear-renewable energy systems want to seize the opportunity to couple these energy resources to take advantage of each technology to bring reliable and sustainable power to the grid while providing other energy sectors with low-emission energy.”

The IAEA noted that a number of technical constraints and a representative energy system power factor (FOM) for hybrid nuclear renewable systems have not yet been established.

“Appropriately defined FOM and restrictions are required to assess the role of nuclear-renewable hybrid energy systems, which are operated alongside independent generators, in current and future energy systems,” it continues. “Significant improvements in methods and simulation tools are required to include systems, applications, and products with multiple inputs and outputs in the analysis while keeping the analysis traceable.”

More specifically, the CRP will examine: progress in analyzing how the coupling of nuclear and renewable systems is affecting the current fleet of reactors; the expected impact on or from advanced and innovative reactor designs and, where appropriate, the consideration of other relevant technologies such as energy storage and carbon capture, use and storage in different regions as well as in industrialized and developing countries.

The new CRP, which is expected to launch in January 2022, aims to bring together the current state of knowledge about the simulation, analysis, optimization and potential use of hybrid renewable hybrid energy systems that has already been gathered by experienced researchers, analysts and industry experts.

The IAEA said the newly developed knowledge will be shared with member states through various activities, including supporting doctoral students, attending training workshops and participating in case studies.

The IAEA promotes and supports the research, development and practical use of atomic energy and its applications for peaceful purposes around the world. It brings together research institutions from the developing and developed Member States to collaborate on research projects of common interest, the CRPs.

Research, technical and doctoral contracts and research agreements are awarded to institutes in Member States that have completed research under these CRPs. Each established CRP consists of a network of ten to 15 research institutes that work in a coordinated manner for three to five years to acquire and disseminate new knowledge. CRP results are available free of charge to scientists, engineers and other users from all Member States.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News