Modern scientific research is highly specialised and concentrated on specific aspects of the scientist’s scientific field. However, when complex challenges arise, such as the sustainable energy transition, strong collaboration between scientific fields is required. Unfortunately, in many cases, these fields do not overlap, which causes communication and collaboration problems. As a result, research development is inefficient, and results are inconsistent. As a result, there is a schism between different scientific fields as well as between policymakers. Finally, this leads to less sustainable development.

The connection between two academic worlds, the built environment and materials science and engineering, is the focus of this double master’s thesis, allowing for the evaluation of a highly scientific technology that is little understood by professionals in the built environment, namely nuclear reactor technology. This is achieved by combining traditional research topics of both fields and creating an extensive research framework that is able to evaluate nuclear technology in both its technical and social implications. Part I of this research thesis goes into great detail about sector coupling.
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Many important life cycle assessment elements are left out of current energy energy transition evaluation methods, making it impossible to conduct a neutral and long-term assessment of the highly complicated energy transition. Consequently, chosen strategies cannot truly ensure long-term sustainable development due to the emergence of new challenges and bottlenecks. As a result, the primary goal of this master’s thesis is to investigate an alternative and extended assessment method capable of re-evaluating the current energy strategy proposition, as well as its primary systems and other energy technologies.
This study focuses on the implementation of nuclear energy in densely populated urban areas, as this technology has been deemed unsustainable by many previous evaluation methods. Nonetheless, it is regarded as an interesting technology due to its numerous potential benefits and relatively high energy density. The Netherlands currently has three designated nuclear energy reactor sites, one of which is in the highly developed Rotterdam-The Hague metropolitan area (MRDH). This region is known for its limited land availability and flexibility, which makes the energy transition even more difficult. As a result, the area has been chosen as the thesis’ primary research location. A well-founded comparison between various technologies deemed sustainable can be made by re-evaluating the proposed regional energy transition (RES). Both large-scale system transitions and individual technology studies can benefit from this approach.

The study focuses on determining the challenges, bottlenecks, and benefits of the energy transition. Several transition strategies, including the current proposal and various nuclear energy scenarios, are investigated to evaluate these key strategy parameters. A computational system analysis is performed per strategy to analyse the effects of a given energy system. Several important uncertainty factors that influence the outcome of energy systems, such as climate change and consumption behaviour trends, have been added to the python-based simulation. This research method enables a fair comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of various energy generation strategies and techniques. Finally, nuclear energy can be re-evaluated in a specific region.

The implementation of nuclear energy sources in the region is beneficial in several stages of the energy transition period, according to the results of dynamic energy system simulation and evaluation. Both strong and light nuclear implementation in the region are viewed as more sustainable than the current transition strategy. The technology’s high energy density allows for significant reductions in low energy dense renewable sources, significantly reducing the required land for energy applications. Furthermore, the technology reduces transitional investment costs, O&M costs, and, as a result, energy prices. Furthermore, because of its low potential for new bottlenecks and challenges, energy affordability can be maintained after 2050, whereas renewable-focused strategies ... Read more