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DOE OSTI2014

Geothermal Power Production: Alternative Scenarios and Critical Issues

This is the last in a series of reports that completes the life cycle analyses (LCAs) of geothermal power production technologies conducted by Argonne National Laboratory. It addresses the remaining critical issues pertaining to the LCAs of geothermal electricity production: the relative contributions from plant operations and maintenance (O&M), from decommissioning (dcm), from well field exploration, and from plant operational greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to the total life cycle performance of geothermal power plants. Contributions from O&M and dcm to the performance of other power generating technologies are also discussed. Also included in this study are LCA results for a new series of scenarios for geothermal power production. Our analysis uses fossil fuel energy consumption and GHG emissions per unit of lifetime electricity output (referred to as the fossil energy and GHG ratios, respectively) as the life cycle metrics for quantifying life cycle stage contributions to their corresponding totals, which were subsequently used for comparing the environmental performance of geothermal and other electric power production plants. Based on literature results, we concluded that the contribution from dcm to both ratios is negligible for power plants in general. Further, we found that the contribution from O&M to both ratios is generally significant for facilities with no fuel cycle (fuel production and use) burdens. In the case of geothermal power production, O&M contributes about 20% to the total for enhanced geothermal power plants, 10% for geothermal binary plants, and about 25% of the energy ratio for geothermal flash and dry steam plants. However, due to operational GHG emissions that are unique among geothermal power plants, O&M contributes only about 1% of total GHG ratios for flash and dry steam plants. These GHG emissions arise when the geofluids of these plants become exposed to the atmosphere, thus releasing dissolved GHGs. The amount of GHG emissions from these plants had a wide range. However, we found that 85% of California’s running capacity in flash and dry steam plants released 160 grams or less per kilowatt-hour of electricity produced. We developed an exploration model to account for core hole, slim hole, and confirmation well drilling that includes a probability of success for confirmation well drilling. The model shows that well field exploration represents about 20% of the total life cycle burden for large geothermal plants with numerous wells and 32% of the burden for small plants with few wells. We also analyzed a set of geothermal scenario pairs. The objective was to identify geothermal scenarios with a lower levelized cost of electricity and lower life cycle burdens. A comparison of reference with improved cases within each pair revealed that the improved cases demonstrated a lower levelized cost of electricity and lower fossil energy consumption and GHG metrics. The scenario pairs covered a range of plant capacities, well numbers and depths, resource temperatures, and plant lifetimes. Finally, we found that compared to fossil-fuel generation of electricity, both flash and dry steam geothermal electricity generation result in fewer GHG emissions: on average, only one-fifth of the GHG emissions per kilowatt-hour from a natural gas combined-cycle plant, and one-tenth of those from a coal-fired plant. Moreover, these fractions were much smaller when the fossil plants were compared with plants that use geothermal binary technology.

Sullivan, J. L.↗

NASA NTRS2019

The World Is Not Enough (WINE) - Space Mining Robot with Steam Propulsion

The World Is Not Enough (WINE) is a concept for a new generation of spacecraft that takes advantage of In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) to explore space. WINE mines to extract water from planetary regolith, capturing the water as ice in a cold trap and heating it to create steam for propulsion. By propulsively "hopping" from location to location, WINE can explore Solar System bodies as well as individual bodies (e.g. WINE could cover much greater distances on Europa or the Moon than a rover, and can reach otherwise inaccessible regions). And by refueling itself as it goes, WINE's range is not limited by consumables. This makes WINE particularly well suited to prospecting and reconnaissance missions. A prototype of WINE was designed, fabricated and tested in a large vacuum chamber. The vehicle was used to demonstrate several of the primary operations that would be required of the WINE spacecraft including: mining and heating regolith to extract water; capturing water as ice in a cold trap; reorienting the vehicle to allow for further mining; pushing captured water into a propulsion tank; and heating propellant to create steam for thrust. All systems demonstrated are fully functional. All tests are conducted with regolith simulant in a vacuum chamber.

Propulsion↗

DOE OSTI2019

Stability of a model Fe-14Cr nanostructured ferritic alloy after long-term thermal creep

The successful development of advanced materials such as nanostructured ferritic alloys (NFA) for next generation nuclear reactor concepts and ultra-supercritical steam power plants requires information on long term thermal creep. To support this initiative, we examine the NFA MA957 (Fe-14Cr-1.0Ti-0.3Mo + 0.3Y 2 O 3 in wt%) crept to 61,251 h at 825 °C and 70 MPa, the longest creep test available to date for this material. Using atom probe tomography and electron microscopy, it is demonstrated that the grain size and nanoprecipitate size/composition are unaffected following this 7 yr creep test, although significant porosity is noted throughout the microstructure attributed to microvoid coalescence and growth.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2022

Chapter 8: Geothermal Energy

Geothermal resources are used at different temperatures for different applications, depending on the resource temperature; applications include power generation, direct heating and cooling, mineral recovery, and energy storage. This chapter focuses on the most prominent applications of geothermal energy today: power generation and direct heating and cooling, specifically, dry steam, flash, and binary technologies. Other topics explored include: direct use of geothermal resources, thermodynamic cycle applications, and the multiple steps and multiple technologies involved in capturing all minerals of interest in a cost-effective way.

cooling↗

DOE OSTI2017

Bench Scale Development and Testing of Aerogel Sorbents for CO 2 Capture Final Technical Report

The primary objective of this project was scaling up and evaluating a novel Amine Functionalized Aerogel (AFA) sorbent in a bench scale fluidized bed reactor. The project team (Aspen Aerogels, University of Akron, ADA-ES, and Longtail Consulting) has carried out numerous tests and optimization studies to demonstrate the CO 2 capture performance of the AFA sorbent in all its forms: powder, pellet, and bead. The CO 2 capture target performance of the AFA sorbent (all forms) were set at > 12 wt.% and > 6 wt.% for total and working CO 2 capacity, respectively (@ 40 °C adsorption / 100 – 120 °C desorption). The optimized AFA powders outperformed the performance targets by more than 30%, for the total CO 2 capacity (14 - 20 wt.%), and an average of 10 % more for working CO 2 capacity (6.6 – 7.0 wt.%, and could be as high as 9.6 wt. % when desorbed at 120 °C). The University of Akron developed binder formulations, pellet production methods, and post treatment technology for increased resistance to attrition and flue gas contaminants. In pellet form the AFA total CO 2 capacity was ~ 12 wt.% (over 85% capacity retention of that of the powder), and there was less than 13% degradation in CO 2 capture capacity after 20 cycles in the presence of 40 ppm SO 2 . ADA-ES assessed the performance of the AFA powder, pellet, and bead by analyzing sorption isotherms, water uptake analysis, cycling stability, jet cup attrition and crush tests. At bench scale, the hydrodynamic and heat transfer properties of the AFA sorbent pellet in fluidized bed conditions were evaluated at Particulate Solid Research, Inc. (PSRI). After the process design requirements were completed, by Longtail Consulting LLC, a techno-economic analysis was achieved using guidance from The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) report. This report provides the necessary framework to estimate costs for a temperature swing post combustion CO 2 capture process using a bituminous coal fired, super-critical steam cycle power plant producing 550 MWe net generation with 90% CO 2 capture using a methylethylamine (MEA) solvent. Using the NETL report as guidance, the designed CO 2 capture system was analyzed on a cost basis to determine relative cost estimates between the benchmark MEA system and the AFA sorbent system.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Design of a System Interface for Flexible Thermal Power Extraction from Two Advanced Reactors

This report presents the design of system interfaces enabling flexible thermal power extraction from two advanced nuclear reactor concepts: a sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) operating on a Rankine cycle, and a gas-cooled reactor (GCR) utilizing a Brayton cycle. The study addresses the dual challenge of ensuring reliable base-load electricity generation while meeting the variable high-temperature steam demands of industrial processes (IPs).

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

NASA NTRS1989

Physical and chemical characteristics of cenospheres from the combustion of heavy fuel oil

Photomicrography of particle cross sections, measurements of density, porosity, and surface area, and determinations of chemical compositions, have been used in conjunction with SEM of surface structure to characterize cenospheres generated by combustion of residual oil in a steam power plant. Large and small cenospheres, which respectively fall into the 100-200 and small 20-40 micron range, are spheroidal and hollow, with at least one blowhole; outer/inner diameter ratios for the shells are of the order of 1.3-1.4. Typically, a cenosphere contains only about 18 vol pct solid material. The presence of S, Fe, Na, and V in substantial concentrations presage high temperature heat exchanger surface corrosion problems due to cenosphere deposition.

Clayton, R. M.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Operational Phase Life Cycle Assessment of Select NASA Ground Test Facilities

NASA's Aeronautics Test Program (ATP) is responsible for many large, high-energy ground test facilities that accomplish the nation s most advanced aerospace research. In order to accomplish these national objectives, significant energy and resources are consumed. A select group of facilities was analyzed using life-cycle assessment (LCA) to determine carbon footprint and environmental impacts. Most of these impacts stem from electricity and natural gas consumption, used directly at the facility and to generate support processes such as compressed air and steam. Other activities were analyzed but determined to be smaller in scale and frequency with relatively negligible environmental impacts. More specialized facilities use R-134a, R-14, jet fuels, or nitrogen gas, and these unique inputs can have a considerable effect on a facility s overall environmental impact. The results of this LCA will be useful to ATP and NASA as the nation looks to identify its top energy consumers and NASA looks to maximize research output and minimize environmental impact. Keywords: NASA, Aeronautics, Wind tunnel, Keyword 4, Keyword 5

Sydnor, George H.↗

NASA NTRS2012

Life-Cycle Assessments of Selected NASA Ground-Based Test Facilities

In the past two years, two separate facility-specific life cycle assessments (LCAs) have been performed as summer student projects. The first project focused on 13 facilities managed by NASA s Aeronautics Test Program (ATP), an organization responsible for large, high-energy ground test facilities that accomplish the nation s most advanced aerospace research. A facility inventory was created for each facility, and the operational-phase carbon footprint and environmental impact were calculated. The largest impacts stemmed from electricity and natural gas used directly at the facility and to generate support processes such as compressed air and steam. However, in specialized facilities that use unique inputs like R-134a, R-14, jet fuels, or nitrogen gas, these sometimes had a considerable effect on the facility s overall environmental impact. The second LCA project was conducted on the NASA Ames Arc Jet Complex and also involved creating a facility inventory and calculating the carbon footprint and environmental impact. In addition, operational alternatives were analyzed for their effectiveness at reducing impact. Overall, the Arc Jet Complex impact is dominated by the natural-gas fired boiler producing steam on-site, but alternatives were provided that could reduce the impact of the boiler operation, some of which are already being implemented. The data and results provided by these LCA projects are beneficial to both the individual facilities and NASA as a whole; the results have already been used in a proposal to reduce carbon footprint at Ames Research Center. To help future life cycle projects, several lessons learned have been recommended as simple and effective infrastructure improvements to NASA, including better utility metering and data recording and standardization of modeling choices and methods. These studies also increased sensitivity to and appreciation for quantifying the impact of NASA s activities.

Sydnor, George Honeycutt↗

DOE OSTI2022

The Power of Being Negative: Producing H2 and Sequestered Carbon from Biomass and Waste Resources

Hydrogen can serve as an enabler for decarbonizing our economy, especially for the transportation, manufacturing, and chemicals sectors. Low-carbon H2 can be generated through a number of pathways, including (1) steam methane reforming coupled with carbon capture and sequestration, (2) water electrolysis utilizing renewable electricity, (3) methane pyrolysis, and (4) biomass and waste conversion. However, only the biomass and waste conversion pathway offers a route to carbon-negative H2 when coupled with carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), thus providing both a service to our environment through carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere and a valuable downstream product in H2.

biomass↗

DOE OSTI2023

NiCrMoNb age hardenable alloy for creep-resistant high temperature applications, and methods of making

Nickel alloys, methods of making nickel alloys, articles including the nickel alloys, uses of the alloys, and methods of treating nickel alloys are described. The inventive heat resistant structural materials are suitable for applications requiring high yield stress at room temperature and good creep strength at high temperatures, such as in gas turbines, steam turbines, fossil energy boilers, aero engines, power generation systems using fluids such as supercritical carbon dioxide (e.g., advanced ultra-supercritical power plants), concentrated solar power plants, nuclear power plants, molten salt reactors: turbine blades, casings, valves, heat exchangers and recuperators.

Detrois, Martin↗

DOE OSTI2016

Study of Reactor BN-350 Wastewater Impact on the Environment

The fast neutron reactor BN-350 had a dual purpose: steam production and plutonium accumulation. The steam produced in the reactor was used to generate electricity (up to 150 MW) and desalination of seawater (up to 120,000 tons/day). The BN-350 reactor became operational in July 1973; its design operation lifetime was 20 years. After expiration of the reactor design lifetime in July 1993, its subsequent operation was continued according to the annual decisions on extension of the reactor operation, by one year. The reactor has been idle since December 1998. On April 22, 1999 Resolution No. 456 'About decommissioning of the BN-350 reactor in Aktau, Mangistau region' was adopted by the RK Government. Thus, the total operation period of the reactor was more than 25 years. One of the important issues related to the long-term operation of a radiation-hazardous facility, such as the BN-350 reactor, is to assess its impact on the environment. The necessity and urgency of detailed studies of the radiation situation is explained by the location of the Caspian Sea and Aktau city in the area of the BN-350 reactor's potential impact. This paper describes the preliminary results of the evaluation of the BN-350 reactor's effect on the level of radionuclide contamination of surface water, including the Caspian Sea via the mechanism of radionuclide discharge in wastewater. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2025

NiCrMoNb age hardenable alloy for creep-resistant high temperature applications, and methods of making

Detrois, Martin↗

DOE OSTI2023

Investigation of Technologies to Improve Condenser Heat Transfer and Performance in a Relevant Coal-Fired Power Plant

Improvements in thermal power-generating plant performance is correlated directly to societal benefits including lower cost of reduced fuel consumption, resulting in lower cost of electricity for the consumer and reduced carbon emissions to the atmosphere. Warm steam exhausted from low-pressure steam turbines is condensed to liquid water on the exterior of thin-walled metal condenser tubes with cooling water passing through the tube interior. The condensation of steam creates a vacuum that supports turbine rotation and the concurrent generation of electricity. This vacuum is optimized when heat transfer across the wall of condenser tube is maximized. Common hindrances to heat transfer include foulants in cooling water that may form and adhere to the interior of condenser tubes, including mineral scale, microbiological films, and particulate deposition. Flowing cooling water may also include a laminar layer at the interior metal surfaces that travels more slowly than bulk water flow, serving to impede heat transfer. On the tube exterior, condensing steam forms an insulating layer of water that flows down the tube and reduces the effectiveness of cooling. Both the interior and exterior barriers to optimal heat transfer may be alleviated to some extent by surface treatments. On the tube interior, hydrophobic coatings may be applied that can reduced the adherence of foulants and of the laminar flow layer to the tube surface. On the tube exterior, hydrophobic coatings or mechanical treatments can be applied that may result in the termination of droplet growth and the departure of droplets from the surface rather than coalescence into a continuous layer of flowing water. Fourteen surface treatments were applied to condenser tubes in this study, including eight interior coatings and six exterior treatments, five of which were coatings and one a microstructural texture. Heat transfer measurement equipment simulating conditions in the condenser of an operating power plant was used to determine heat transfer coefficients by measuring sufficient flow, temperature, water chemistry and other data. Several of the tubes with interior surface treatments showed improvement in heat transfer coefficients compared with a plain (uncoated) tube, and several of the tubes with exterior surface treatments also showed enhanced heat transfer coefficients.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

DOE OSTI2024

Process Design and Techno-Economic Analysis of the Modular Staged Pressurized Oxy-Combustion (SPOC) Power Plant for Biomass

This work describes the process design and techno-economic analysis (TEA) of the modular SPOC power plant for biomass firing and coal-biomass co-firing. Two Rankine cycles were considered: a supercritical steam cycle (242 bar, 593°C, 593°C) with 550 MWe net output and a subcritical cycle (166 bar, 566°C, 566°C) with 200 MWe net output. For both cases, 95% carbon capture was modeled, and hybrid poplar biomass was chosen to generate carbon-negative power. In addition, the supercritical 500 MWe case included a 25% biomass co-firing (carbon neutral) case. For both cycles, a 100% Powder River Basin coal firing case was used for comparison purposes. In the SPOC process, oxygen is produced via a cryogenic air separation unit (ASU) and the heat generated from the compression of air is integrated into the steam cycle and utilized for boiler feed water pre-heating. Unique to the SPOC process, the boilers are pressurized and arranged in a series-parallel configuration, with minimized flue gas recirculation. The flue gas is cooled and scrubbed in the direct-contact cooler (DCC) column, and the moisture in the flue gas is condensed, leaving the bottom of the DCC at a sufficiently high temperature such that it can be used for boiler feed water pre-heating, improving plant thermal efficiency. Following drying and purification, CO2 in the flue gas is at the purity required for storage or utilization. The performance data were obtained from process modelling via Aspen Plus®. The stream data from Aspen Plus® were used as an input for the AACE Class 5 cost study. Ultimately, the capital costs, Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE), and cost of CO2 captured and avoided were obtained. The HHV efficiency of the carbon negative 550 MWe supercritical SPOC case (34.8%) was clearly above those reported by NETL for the BECCS baseline cases of supercritical pulverized coal with capture (B12B, 31.5%) and the 49% biomass co-firing case with capture (PA3, 29.2%). The HHV efficiency of the carbon-negative subcritical plant is also higher than the subcritical baseline PC plant with capture (case B11B.95) presented by NETL (32% vs 29.7%). The LCOE for the SPOC 100% biomass case was similar to the LCOE for the BECCS 49% biomass with carbon capture case ($147/MWh), and the SPOC carbon neutral case LCOE was lower ($110/MWh) than the cost for the NETL baseline SC coal firing case with 90% carbon capture ($114/MWh).

Magalhaes, Duarte↗

DOE OSTI2022

The response of accident tolerant fuel cladding to LOCA burst testing: A comparative study of leading concepts

Accident tolerant fuel claddings seek to improve safety margins during loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) scenarios by reducing cladding steam oxidation rates, hydrogen production, delaying or mitigating cladding burst, and reducing cladding deformation. After rapid and extensive progress in recent years, Cr coated Zr-based alloys, ferritic FeCrAl, and SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) have emerged as the most promising cladding concepts, but there are few studies comparing the accident tolerance of all three concepts simultaneously. Here, in this study, LOCA burst testing has been conducted on Cr high impulse power magnetron sputtered Zry-4 (Cr/Zry-4), C26M (FeCrAl), and SiC/SiC SiGA (CMC). Experimental observations indicate Cr/Zry-4 burst at higher temperatures than Zry-4 however the effectiveness of the coating on mitigating ZrO 2 formation via Cr 2 O 3 formation depended on physical proximity to the burst opening. No dramatic improvement in diametrical strain nor opening geometry was observed. C26M burst at higher temperatures than Zry-4 at lower pressures, exhibiting small amounts of strain and smaller openings, and formed slow-growing Al 2 O 3 regardless of location. The CMCs did not burst or show any macroscopic signs of deformation, all the way up to an internal cladding pressure of 15.2 MPa. High temperature expanding Nb plug testing indicated that CMC room temperature strength may persist up to 1650°C, with an approximately 40% loss of strength at 1900°C. CMC steam oxidation was also compared to reference chemically vapor deposited SiC up to 1700°C, and CMCs were found to oxidize at slightly accelerated rates that were still orders of magnitude lower than bare Zry-4. Projected H 2 generation during LOCA burst testing showed that when accounting for cladding burst exposing inner diameters to steam, Cr coated Zry-4 reduced H 2 generation by a factor of two compared with bare Zry-4, while both C26M and SiC/SiC reduced H 2 generation by orders of magnitude relative to bare Zry-4.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2018

Improving Flexibility and Performance of Staged Pressurized Oxy-Combustion

Staged pressurized oxy-combustion (SPOC) is a novel coal combustion power technology being developed by Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) that offers the potential to deliver low-carbon power at a reduced cost. Oxy-combustion plants operate by removing most of the nitrogen contained in air prior to combustion, thereby burning fuel in a near-pure oxygen stream instead of air. This combustion produces a flue gas containing primarily carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and water vapor that allows relatively straightforward CO 2 capture. First-generation, atmospheric oxy-combustion technology relies on a flue gas recycle (FGR) diluent to reduce the peak temperatures achieved and the resulting high thermal radiation levels that would otherwise occur in a fuel/oxygen only flame. In contrast, by staging the combustion in several steps, SPOC reduces the peak temperatures of combustion without resorting to a high degree of FGR to control flame temperatures. The SPOC process operates by utilizing two or more pressurized boiler modules connected in series to produce fuel staging; hence, only a portion of the fuel is combusted in any given combustion module. Subsequently the thermal energy released at each stage can be captured and removed from the gases prior to subsequent stages, when more fuel is introduced. This allows the SPOC process to operate with minimal FGR, avoiding the associated efficiency losses and additional costs. While the staging controls the heat release profile in SPOC, operating in a pressurized condition yields a more compact system, reducing modular boiler size and delivering enhanced heat transfer. Additionally, operating at elevated pressures ensures that the latent heat of moisture available from moisture in the fuel and generated by the combustion of the hydrogen content in the fuel can be captured as useful thermal energy for steam turbine integration. This is possible due to elevated dew point from the high partial pressure of the moisture generated in this process, which allows substantial feedwater heater bypassing to be achieved. The inclusion of this thermal energy, normally lost to the atmosphere in traditional combustion processes or to cooling systems in atmospheric oxy-combustion, allows the resultant net efficiency of the SPOC system to be up to 6 percentage points greater than first-generation systems. To begin the process of developing this technology for full-scale application, the Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. teamed up with WUSTL, American Air Liquide, Doosan Babcock, and the U.S. Department of Energy to investigate a practical and workable boiler design concept that would minimize process risks where possible. The SPOC system offers unique process flexibility opportunities due to the staged nature of the combustion, making it a prime candidate for future primary energy delivery where the ability to operate at reduced load in an efficient manner and ramp rapidly will be valuable for balancing intermittent renewable electricity generation. The efficiency of traditional coal-fired power plants is lower at reduced loads below the steam temperature control range due to the challenges in balancing the heat pickup between radiative and convective superheater and reheater surface. Introducing additional heating surface for optimal extended controlled low load operation will likely lead to excessive attemperation at high loads, ultimately leading to a poorer overall cycle efficiency. The SPOC process can facilitate the adjustment of fuel firing rates between stages, targeting heat pickup to where it is most needed and potentially can shut down stages for low-load operation, facilitating an increased steam temperature control range on turndown. The boiler design concept assessment is being carried out to identify the maximum permissible compactness of the SPOC boiler heating surfaces. The assessment will determine the minimum overall height that will deliver appropriate tube operating metal temperatures at full load and achieve rated reheat steam temperatures at low operating loads, balanced against the needs of efficient coal combustion, and the potential resultant slagging and ash environments. The design parameters are being validated by combustion testing in the 100-kWth pressurized combustion test rig at WUSTL. Parameters being investigated include flame stability, fuel burnout, ash composition, radiative heat flux, and temperature profiles. These are being carried out for a range of inlet gas conditions and compositions and at multiple load conditions to investigate combustion stability at reduced load. The results of this testing inform the modeling of the large-scale system, that was sized at 550 MWe to allow direct comparison with the National Energy Technology Laboratory baseline cases for atmospheric oxy-combustion, air firing, and air firing with post-combustion capture.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗

DOE OSTI2026

Region-Specific Merchant Hydrogen Market Assessment and Techno-Economic Assessment of Electrolytic Hydrogen Generation: Cooperative Research and Development Final Report, CRADA Number CRD-18-00751

Utilities need to recover value from baseload and some renewable assets even when the electricity is curtailed. The declining cost of renewables (particularly solar), the persistently low-cost of natural gas, and the declining electricity demand, have all worked to lower the price of electricity. Furthermore, the baseload assets have a high turndown cost, which is not reflected in the low market electricity prices. One option for utilizing the curtailed electricity is hydrogen generation. One important aspect of this project will be to provide a “go/no-go” recommendation on the economic feasibility of pursuing hydrogen generation vs. other markets that could offtake curtailed electricity or nuclear steam. This project will specifically assess the opportunities for hydrogen production and use in the service territories of Southern Company Services (SCS), Exelon SBC, and Xcel Energy. Each utility partner represents a different mix of generation fleets: Exelon has significant nuclear assets, Xcel is primarily renewables (wind) with some nuclear, and SCS represents both a renewables fleet and a heavily baseload fleet, which includes significant nuclear. The Contractors will conduct the study of hydrogen market opportunities by first considering the approximate electricity demand and price profiles for the year, and power generation capacity that can be used to produce hydrogen. Therefore, a profile for hydrogen generation will also be developed to better understand the quantity and timing of hydrogen production. Once the hydrogen production schedule is estimated, hydrogen storage requirements can be determined. This effort will provide sufficient information to make a go/no-go decision on moving ahead with a detailed regional case study for hydrogen production in any of the three utility areas.

08 HYDROGEN↗