Design and Operation of Integrated Energy Systems | Michael Wagner, Mechanical Engineering UW-Madison

The rapid decrease in renewable electricity technology costs has fundamentally shifted the way grids operate and plan for new capacity. Increasing penetration of inexpensive solar photovoltaics and wind reduces the overall retail cost of electricity but intensifies daily variability in net demand. However, nuclear power systems traditionally prefer to operate under steady load. Integrated energy systems (IES) including nuclear and thermal energy storage gain an advantage in variable-demand.