Development of electricity generation in Slovenia based on small modular nuclear reactors

Diplomska naloga vsebuje trenutno aktualno tematiko prehoda na zelene vire energije. Kot vemo, postaja v dobršnem delu sveta raba fosilnih goriv prvovrstni politični problem. Fosilna goriva naj bi namreč, po mnenju zagovornikov tako imenovanega razogljičenja, negativno vplivala na okolje in njihova cena se povečuje vsako leto. Zato se politične agende tako imenovanega zahodnega sveta, zlasti EU, zavzemajo za prehod pridobivanja električne energije na tako imenovane obnovljive oz. zelene vire energije. Med slednje spadajo viri, kot sta veter in sonce ter, po zadnji odločitvi Evropske komisije, tudi jedrska energija. Namen tega diplomskega dela je proučiti možen način razogljičenja proizvodnje električne energije s pomočjo majhnih jedrskih reaktorjev v Evropi in Sloveniji. Prvi del diplomske naloge je namenjen kratki zgodovini in začetkom proizvodnje električne energije v Evropi in svetu. Drugi del opisuje sestavo elektroenergetskega omrežja, ki povezuje Evropo in načinu pridobivanja električne energije posameznih držav v Evropi. V tretjem delu pojasnjujemo, kako je mogoče razogljičiti elektroenergetski sistem Evrope in doseči stabilen vir proizvodnje električne energije. V četrtem delu naloge so v tabelah predstavljeni izračuni porabe električne energije različnih tipov električnih avtomobilov in porabe toplotnih črpalk glede na proizvodnjo električne energije majhnih jedrskih reaktorjev. Omenjena porabnika bosta v prihodnje namreč predvidoma bistveno vplivala na porabo električne energije. Kot smo ugotovili, so v preteklosti večino električne energije v Evropi in svetu proizvedli iz fosilnih goriv in jedrske energije. Glede na trenutno stanje to še vedno velja, a od leta 2000 se Evropa usmerja v popolno razogljičenje proizvodnje električne energije do leta 2050 s pomočjo obnovljivih virov, in sicer je poudarek predvsem na vetrnih in sončnih elektrarnah. Druga ugotovitev je, da predvideno razogljičenje s strani Evropske unije iz tehničnih razlogov ne bo mogoče, ker vetrne in sončne elektrarne ne predstavljajo dovolj stabilnega in konstantnega vira električne energije, ki bi oskrboval celotno elektroenergetsko omrežje v Evropi, če ne uvedemo tehnično sicer mogočih, a ekonomsko in praktično trenutno neizvedljivih količin shranjevalnikov energije. Nadalje ugotavljamo, da je razogljičenje proizvodnje električne energije v Evropi mogoče izvesti le z uporabo jedrske energije oz. izgradnjo novih jedrskih elektrarn in uporabiti predvsem novo vejo jedrskih reaktorjev, in sicer so to majhni modularni jedrski reaktorji, ki bodo v prihodnosti doprinesli k dodatni proizvodnji električne energije in možni elektrifikaciji prometa po celotni Evropi. Vendar je komercialna množična uporaba le-teh še vsaj desetletje ali dve.The diploma thesis contains the currently topical topic of the transition to green energy sources. As we know, the use of fossil fuels is becoming a major political problem in a good part of the world. Indeed, according to the advocates of so-called decarbonization, fossil fuels have a negative impact on the environment and their price increases every year. That is why the political agendas of the so-called Western world, especially the EU, favor the transition of electricity generation to so-called renewable or green energy sources. The latter includes sources such as wind and the Sun and, according to the latest decision of the European Commission, also nuclear energy. The purpose of this thesis is to study a possible way of decarbonizing electricity production with the help of small nuclear reactors in Europe and Slovenia. The first part of the thesis is devoted to a brief history and the beginnings of electricity production in Europe and the world. The second part describes the composition of the electricity network that connects Europe and the method of obtaining electricity in individual countries in Europe. In the third part, we explain how it is possible to decarbonize Europe\u27s electricity system and achieve a stable source of electricity production. In the fourth part of the assignment, the calculations of the electricity consumption of different types of electric cars and the consumption of heat pumps in relation to the electricity production of small nuclear reactors are presented in tables. In the future, the aforementioned consumers are expected to significantly influence the consumption of electricity. As we found out, in the past most of the electricity in Europe and the world was produced from fossil fuels and nuclear energy. According to the current situation, this is still true, but since 2000, Europe has been aiming for the complete decarbonization of electricity production by 2050 with the help of renewable sources, and the focus is mainly on wind and solar power plants. Another conclusion is that the planned decarbonization by the European Union will not be possible for technical reasons, because wind and solar power plants do not represent a sufficiently stable and constant source of electricity that would supply the entire electricity network in Europe, if we do not introduce technically possible, but economically and practically currently unfeasible quantities of energy storage. We further note that the decarbonization of electricity production in Europe can only be carried out by using nuclear energy or the construction of new nuclear power plants and to use, above all, a new branch of nuclear reactors, namely small modular nuclear reactors, which in the future will contribute to additional electricity production and the possible electrification of transport throughout Europe. However, the commercial plural use of these is at least a decade or two away