POWER
Summary
Nuclear energy is competitive for urban district heating applications. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, about 43 nuclear reactors around the world—mostly in Eastern Europe and Russia—provide district heating in addition to generating electricity. Combined heat and power arrangements are more attractive for new small- and medium-sized nuclear reactors because these designs incorporate enhanced safety features, require smaller investments, pose fewer financial risks, and may be easier to site closer to end-users.
Birdsill Holly designed the first financially successful district heating (DH) system in Lockport, New York, in 1877. His system, based on the delivery of steam, was widely imitated. By 1887, 20 district heating systems were in operation in the U.S.
Combined heat and power (CHP) was introduced as early as 1890. After these early attempts, wider introduction of the systems began in the beginning of the 20th century. The purpose was to rationalize ways of heating clusters of buildings from a central power plant or a boiler plant through a suitable distribution medium. In the U.S., the distribution medium was steam, while in Europe, the predominant distribution medium was hot water.
Within the past 30 years, district heating and cooling systems in the U.S. have expanded dramatically. A number of modern hot- and chilled-water district systems have been developed in cities across the country, including in St. Paul, Minnesota; Trenton, New Jersey; Jamestown, Buffalo, and Schenectady, New York; Indianapolis, Indiana; Springfield, Massachusetts; Hartford, Connecticut; and Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Meanwhile, old steam systems in New York City; Boston, Massachusetts; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Baltimore, Maryland; St. Louis, Missouri; Youngstown and Dayton, Ohio; and Rochester, New York, have been renovated and/or expanded. For all these systems, fossil fuel is the present energy source. However, extension of these and other systems offers the possibility of loads commensurate with the capabilities of modern nuclear energy sources.
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