Sustainability by combining nuclear, fossil, and renewable energy sources
Charles W. Forsberg
*
Department
of Nuclear Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, Room 24-207a, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139
, United States
Keywords:
Sustainability
Nuclear energy
Liquid fuels
Underground refining
Peak electricity
abstract
The energy industries face two sustainability challenges: the need to avoid climate change and the need
to replace traditional crude oil as the basis of our transport system. Radical changes in our energy system
will be required to meet these challenges. These challenges may require tight coupling of different
energy sources (nuclear, fossil, and renewable) to produce liquid fuels for transportation, match elec-
tricity production to electricity demand, and meet other energy needs. This implies a paradigm shift in
which different energy sources are integrated together, rather than being considered separate entities
that compete. Several examples of combined-energy systems are described. High-temperature nuclear
heat may increase worldwide light crude oil resources by an order of magnitude while reducing
greenhouse gas releases from the production of liquid fossil fuels. Nuclear–biomass liquid-fuels
production systems could potentially meet world needs for liquid transport fuels. Nuclear–hydrogen
peak power systems may enable renewable electricity sources to meet much of the world’s electric
demand by providing electricity when the wind does not blow and the sun does not shine.
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