Integration of Small Modular Reactors Into Renewable Energy-Based Standalone Microgrids: An Energy Management Perspective

The environmental impact of human activities has become a significant consideration when making energy infrastructure decisions. To reduce energy poverty worldwide, there is growing interest in providing electricity in an environmentally sustainable way that minimizes greenhouse gas emissions. The same applies to the energy supply for off-grid industrial activities, such as mining projects and remote communities. These applications have traditionally been served by diesel generators, and more recently by wind-diesel hybrid power systems. Diesel and fuel oils are notorious for the high cost of transportation to remote sites, and for emissions of particulate pollution and greenhouse gasses. Such emissions can profoundly impact the environment in comparison to other types of power generation.