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Electricity Generation Capacity Planning with Nuclear, Renewables, and Batteries: Defining Pathways to Energy Security and Decarbonization

Abstract

Our study presents a capacity planning approach to assess the impact of integrating nuclear energy systems on techno-economics and CO2 emissions. While the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has imposed strict rules and standards to reduce pollution from fossil fuel fired power plants, energy security and reliability are pervasive issues in the light of climate crisis. Issues related to sustainability need to be addressed. The complexity of the problem at the interface of climate change and energy security poses major challenges for utility companies and electric grid operators in providing cost-effective and reliable electricity to their customers.

The main goal of our study is to better understand the integration of nuclear, renewables, and battery storage units with the help of a model utility system. To this end, this study utilizes a daily load curve from a model utility system to demonstrate electricity generation capacity planning and portfolio selection. It investigates three possible capacity planning scenarios: Scenario I comprised of coal, nuclear, and natural gas units; Scenario II comprised of nuclear and natural gas units; and Scenario III comprised of nuclear, natural gas, renewable, and battery energy storage units. Using U.S. Energy Information Administration data, the impact of capacity planning scenarios on techno-economic elements such as plant performance factors, economics, reliability, and CO2 emissions are examined. The results indicate a significant variation in performance factors, the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), and CO2 emissions while the reliability remains the same across all three scenarios. With nuclear energy, renewables, and battery energy storage replacing coal, a significant reduction of CO2 emissions of 99% is observed. In summary, this study provides a framework to study the techno-economic complexity of electricity generation capacity planning with nuclear energy, renewables, and battery storage units.

Read the full article here.

This article was originally published in the International Journal of Strategic Energy and Environmental Planning (IJSEEP Vol. 7, Iss. 1, 2025) by Satish Boregowda, Suresh Chand, and Stephen Roosa.

In The News

Electricity Generation Capacity Planning with Nuclear, Renewables, and Batteries: Defining Pathways to Energy Security and Decarbonization

Abstract

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