NEA Global Forum Symposium

A growing number of governments and societies have come to recognise the key role of nuclear energy in enabling an energy supply chain that can achieve net zero emissions by 2050. However, to meet the necessary scale and speed for a new era of nuclear projects, substantial reinvestment in the nuclear workforce will be imperative.

Highly skilled individuals, often with specialised expertise in scientific disciplines, are the cornerstone of the nuclear energy industry. Although the deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) and the advent of disruptive technologies promise to decrease the demand for on-site staff, a new set of skills …

Optimal Energy Management in Multi Energy Microgrid with Combined Heat and Power System and Demand Side Response Integration

Renewable energy sources are gaining prominence due to their sustainability, low environmental footprint, and potential to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. However, their intermittent and unpredictable nature presents significant challenges for reliable energy supply. A promising solution lies in integrating multiple energy carriers, such as electricity and gas, to enhance system resilience, efficiency, and sustainability. This study presents a Multi-Energy Microgrid (MEMG) architecture featuring a DC electricity bus and a heat bus. The DC bus integrates photovoltaic (PV) panels, batteries, and a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) unit, while the heat bus connects to the gas supply network through boilers, …

Rooftop Solar and Energy Storage Programs can Remediate Energy-Limiting Behaviors of Energy Insecure Households in the United States

Energy insecurity, or the inability to afford energy needs, affects most low-income households in the United States and leads to risky choices and additional insecurities including food and health. Although there are government programs designed to provide relief from energy insecurity, eligibility is usually determined by household income, and those with incomes close to the threshold face uncertainty or may be left out. In many cases, these households turn to energy-limiting behaviors as a strategy to lower their electric utility bills. Here we explore the relationship between energy insecurity and energy-limiting behaviors and investigate alternative solutions such as energy storage …

Rooftop solar and energy storage programs can remediate energy-limiting behaviors of energy insecure households in the United States

Energy insecurity, or the inability to afford energy needs, affects most low-income households in the United States and leads to risky choices and additional insecurities including food and health. Although there are government programs designed to provide relief from energy insecurity, eligibility is usually determined by household income, and those with incomes close to the threshold face uncertainty or may be left out. In many cases, these households turn to energy-limiting behaviors as a strategy to lower their electric utility bills. Here we explore the relationship between energy insecurity and energy-limiting behaviors and investigate alternative solutions such as energy storage …

A Novel Data-Driven NLMPC Strategy for Techno-Economic Microgrid Management with Battery Energy Storage Under Uncertainty

As renewable energy sources become more widespread and energy consumption continues to grow, there is an urgent requirement for smarter, more flexible control methods to manage microgrids (MGs) effectively. This study proposes a data-driven nonlinear model predictive control (NLMPC) framework for optimized MG operation, emphasizing energy storage system (ESS) integration. Effective MG management is crucial given increasing renewable penetration and energy demands. This framework coordinates distributed generation (DG) units, including rotating and non-rotating resources, with a battery ESS in a dynamic MG environment. Leveraging Gaussian Process Regression (GPR), the framework accurately models the complex dynamics of both DG units and …

Cross-Species Comparison of Ultramafic Rock Bio-Accelerated Weathering Performance

Carbon mineralization sequesters atmospheric CO2 by reacting it with cations from rock weathering to form carbonates. However, natural rates are too slow, and acceleration with chemical or mechanical methods is expensive. Microbial processes (acidolysis, redoxolysis, complexolysis) could speed weathering with less energy. However, no microorganisms have been employed at industrial scale to dissolve ultramafic rocks. Although some microbes dissolve ultramafic rocks), their performance remains poorly understood. Here, we compare the dissolution of dunite (> 90% olivine) by three mineral-dissolving microbes: Gluconobacter oxydansSphingomonas desiccabilis and Penicillium simplicissimum. G. oxydans outperformed the others, producing the most acidic biolixiviant (pH 2.15 at 1% …

Power Systems Transformation

Clean electrification, driven by the decarbonization of power systems and the substitution of electricity for fossil fuels in industry, transport, and buildings, is the foundation of the transition to a global net-zero economy. In many sectors, direct electrification will be the most cost-effective route to decarbonization; in others, hydrogen produced via electrolysis is likely to play a significant role. As a result, total electricity demand will grow dramatically. The ETC’s latest updates to the two net-zero scenarios, Accelerated by Clearly Feasible (ACF) and Possible but Stretching (PBS), initially published in December 2023, suggest that the share of direct electricity usage …

Demonstration of Utility Smart Charge Management for Multiple Benefit Streams

In the summer of 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded funding to Exelon’s Maryland utilities—Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE), Delmarva Power & Light (DPL), and Potomac Electric Power Company (Pepco)—to implement the Smart Charge Management (SCM) pilot. This initiative aimed to design and implement managed electric vehicle (EV) charging strategies, evaluate the grid impacts of EV charging, and assess the utilities’ ability to control EV load based on real-time grid conditions.…

Emerging Trends in Power Utility Asset Management

The landscape of asset management within electric utilities is rapidly advancing. In response, asset management teams continue to evolve to adopt and adhere to changing standards, shift team structures to support utility priorities, and optimize data collection and usage to drive better informed asset decisions. Through CEATI’s extensive, global network of power utility members, several key asset management trends have emerged across 2024 and 2025. This paper synthesizes insights from recent CEATI research and benchmarking activities, with the intent to assist utilities in identifying strategic opportunities and enhancing asset management practices to meet current and emerging industry demands.…

Photonics-Integrated Terahertz Transmission Lines

Modern communication and sensing technologies connect the optical domain with the microwave domain. Accessing the terahertz region from 100 GHz to 10 THz is critical for providing larger bandwidths capabilities. Despite progress in integrated electronics, they lack a direct link to the optical domain, and face challenges with increasing frequencies ( > 1 THz). Electro-optic effects offer promising capabilities but are currently limited to bulk nonlinear crystals, missing out miniaturization, or to sub-terahertz bandwidths. Here, we address these challenges by realizing photonic circuits that integrate terahertz transmission lines on thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN). By providing terahertz field confinement and phase-matched …