NPRE, Crop Sciences join Exelon to study re-using lost nuclear power plant heat for greenhouse, biofuel needs

University of Illinois researchers from Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering and Crop Sciences have teamed with Exelon Corporation to determine whether heat lost from nuclear power generation can be re-purposed for greenhouses or biofuel production.

According to NPRE Assistant Prof. Caleb Brooks, two units of heat are discharged for every unit of electricity nuclear power plants produce. “Currently, all power plants discharge a lot of heat into the environment,” he said. “There are several possibilities to reutilize the energy instead of allowing it to dissipate. We’re looking at possible agricultural uses for that discharged heat.”

Joining Brooks in the year-long study will be NPRE Assistant Prof. Katy Huff, and Andrew Margenot, assistant professor of soil science in the College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences. The researchers will

• Evaluate past waste heat studies for relevancy to Exelon’s fleet of nuclear power plants
• Determine agricultural opportunities, challenges and constraints
• Look at regulatory considerations for food production

Exelon is interested in the project as a means to increase revenue and net efficiency. The company has more nuclear plants in Illinois than in any other state.

“With Exelon’s fleet of nuclear power plants concentrated in regions with long winter months, (Exelon) is well positioned to deploy waste heat recovery technology to meet the heating needs of numerus agricultural industries ranging from food to fuel production,” according to the project proposal. “Given the abundance of waste heat from nuclear power plants and the considerable agronomic and economic advantages to temperature-controlled agricultural production systems, impacts on several agricultural markets can be explored.”

Potentially, using the wasted heat for algae farming could significantly expand its energy portfolio to include biofuel. In food production, the wasted heat from a single plant would supply the needs of many acres of traditionally heated greenhouses for common crops such as tomatoes, or enable novel production greenhouse production such as growing of tropical crops.

This work recognizes the potential role nuclear power can play in contributing to agricultural sustainability.