Cost of nuclear power
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Historical Costs
see Fig.1
Cost of new designs
ThorCon MSR:
$1200 per kW + $0.03 per kWh [2]
Cost of alternatives
Rooftop Solar (no batteries):
$2,900 per kW (nameplate), $11,600 per kW avg (25% Capacity Factor)
Wind Turbines
$770–$850 per kW (nameplate), down from $1800 in 2008.[3]
$3240 per kW avg (25% Capacity Factor)
Batteries:
Lead-Acid: $300 per kWh
Li-ion:
Hydrogen:
Worldwide hydrogen production stood at 90 Mt in 2020, but since it was produced almost exclusively from fossil fuels, the result was close to 900 Mt of CO2 emissions.[4]
"Green" hydrogen (no CO2) can be produced from water using electrolysis, but the cost is much higher.[5]
$2 per kg promised by mid 2020s[6]
$1 per kg ten-year goal set by DOE[7]
$0.12 per kWh electrical energy storage cost, assuming $2 per kg of H2, and 50% overall efficiency.[8]
Notes and References
- ↑ Fig.12 in Lovering 2016 "Historical construction costs of global nuclear power reactors" https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2016.01.011
- ↑ ThorCon's estimate of costs.
- ↑ DOE report 30 Aug 2021
- ↑ See the section "Hydrogen supplies are becoming cleaner … too slowly" in the IEA Global Hydrogen Review 2021.
- ↑ Depending on regional gas prices, the levelized cost of hydrogen production from natural gas ranges from $0.50 to $1.70 per kg. See the section "Low-carbon hydrogen can become competitive within the next decade" in the IEA Global Hydrogen Review 2021.
- ↑ Australian company Hysata, PV Magazine, Aug 2022.
- ↑ Department of Energy's "Hydrogen Shot"
- ↑ Energy density of H2 is 33 kWh/kg. ($2/kg / 33 kWh/kg / 50%) = $0.12/kWh.