Holger Rogner

Technoeconomic assumptions adopted for the development of a long-term electricity supply model for Cyprus

The generation mix of Cyprus has been dominated by oil products for decades. In order to conform with European Union and international legislation, a transformation of the supply system is called for. Energy system models can facilitate energy planning into the future, but a large volume of data is required to populate such models. The present data article provides information on key modelling assumptions and input data adopted with the aim of representing the electricity supply system of Cyprus in a separate research article. Data in regards to renewable energy technoeconomic characteristics and investment cost projections, fossil fuel price projections, storage technology characteristics and system operation assumptions are described in this article.

The effectiveness of foreign aid for sustainable energy and climate mitigation

Chap. 4 portrays an increasingly complex foreign aid landscape as it pertains to the energy sector—one which is increasingly fragmented, where many new actors, both public and private are gaining in prominence, in conjunction with foreign direct investment. It offers a detailed picture of the evolution of foreign aid related to the energy sector since 1990s, emphasizing the emergent south–south financial flows, especially from rising countries such as China, India and Brazil to Africa, on top of the traditional north–south ones, as well as the entrance of new non-governmental organizations and private foundations in reshaping this landscape. It points out that the Sustainable Energy for All initiative of the UN Secretary General is a good example of a coordinated effort from where to derive important lessons in this regard.

Part I: Uranium

Publisher Summary Unconventional resources, including phosphate deposits and seawater, contain vast amounts of uranium and their use could fuel nuclear energy for millennia if advanced reactor and fuel cycle technologies are deployed. Known uranium reserves are more than enough to cover the requirements of existing reactors during their lifetimes and beyond and are likely to continue to increase as exploration progresses, but new production takes many years to be brought online and, until recently, has not been encouraged by the low prices of uranium. In these circumstances, periods of imbalance between supply and demand causing future shortages and considerable price volatility cannot be excluded. By the same token, any future surplus capacity or increase in secondary supplies will exert downward pressures on uranium market prices. Thus, sufficient nuclear fuel resources exist to meet energy demands at current and increased levels well into the future. However, to reach this potential considerable research, development and demonstration efforts and investment are required, both to develop new extraction technologies in a timely manner and also to allow promising technologies to reach their potential.

Part II: Nuclear

Publisher Summary This chapter deals with the state of nuclear power today. Many countries are working to improve the economics, safety, and proliferation resistance of advanced reactor–fuel cycle systems. Efforts are focused on making plants simpler to operate, inspect, maintain and repair. In the near term, most new nuclear power plants (NPPs) are likely to be evolutionary designs building on proven systems while incorporating technological advances and often economies of scale. For the longer term, the focus is on innovative designs, several of which are in the small-to-medium range (up to 700 MWe). Complementing the many initiatives above are two major international efforts to promote innovation—the US-initiated GIF and the IAEAs International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO). The former is currently geared towards specific technology development for reactors intended to come online around 2030. The latter is focused more on the establishment of user requirements to guide fuel cycle and reactor R&D programs targeted on prospective global midcentury energy markets.