Low-carbon plants can ‘complement and balance’ energy from renewables
Bold investments in advanced nuclear energy will further technological innovation, secure US leadership in international nuclear markets, promote high-quality US energy jobs, and support national energy security and electric grid resilience, all while improving environmental health and accelerating US climate action, a report by the California-based Breakthrough Institute says.
The report, Advancing Nuclear Energy: Evaluating Deployment, Investment, and Impact In America’s Clean Energy Future, finds there is a large demand for advanced nuclear provided that policy and political barriers can be overcome.
According to the report, advanced nuclear energy complements and balances variable generation from other clean energy sources including wind and solar to reliably meet US power needs.
The report, Advancing Nuclear Energy: Evaluating Deployment, Investment, and Impact In America’s Clean Energy Future, finds there is a large demand for advanced nuclear provided that policy and political barriers can be overcome.
According to the report, advanced nuclear energy complements and balances variable generation from other clean energy sources including wind and solar to reliably meet US power needs.
Successful commercialisation of advanced nuclear reactors could lower the total cost as the US transitions to a clean energy system, the report says.
It concludes that advanced nuclear reactors could provide other critical benefits such as industrial heat, high-quality jobs, hydrogen production, and a transition for fossil fuel communities.
Modelling in the report suggests that a US clean energy transition incorporating advanced nuclear energy could require cumulative capital investment for advanced nuclear power plant construction in the order of $150bn to $220bn by 2035, growing to a total of $830bn to $1.1 trillion by 2050.
