How Nuclear Power Can Transform Electric Grid and Critical Infrastructure Resilience
dent on fuel resupply to the plant site . The onsite fuel storage capacity of power plants varies and in some cases is being extended due to growing concerns about fuel supply fragility . Table 3 summarizes traditional onsite fuel storage capacities for various conventional power generation facilities . A fuel-secure rNPP could offer unique benefits in the wake of a black sky event — wide-spread , long-term ( weeks to months ) Grid failure . An rNPP would have the capability to operate for months — perhaps even years — in such scenarios , when other types of generating stations could be inoperable due to fuel supply depletion , inability to black start , or inability to meet ( disrupted ) Grid interface requirements .
Table 3 . Fuel Security Attributes of Various Power Generation Facilities ( Greene 2016 )
It is likely that renewable energy sources , if paired with adequate electricity storage capacity , could offer many of the fuel security benefits of NPPs . It is difficult to compare the fuel security attributes of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar , with that of traditional power plants such as those in Table 3 — particularly if one is concerned primarily with their performance during longterm Grid failure scenarios . Effective fuel security , for a renewable energy system coupled to energy storage devices , is a complex issue involving factors such as : the equivalent generating capacity of the energy storage device ( i . e ., MWe ) when it is discharging into the Grid , ( 2 ) the amount of energy ( MWe-days ) actually stored in and recoverable from the storage system that can be dispatched into the Grid , and ( 3 ) the integrated system ’ s charge-discharge cycle characteristics ( e . g ., how quickly it can discharge at rated capacity and recharge to rated capacity ). Traditional hydro-generation facilities associated with impoundments do , of course , have rated generation capacities ( MWe ) and intrinsic storage capability ( MWe-days ). The effective generating capacity ( MWe ) and energy storage value ( MWe-days ) of hydroelectric generating plants during black sky scenarios would ultimately be
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