Energy Systems
Power generation, distribution, and thermal management for a structure consuming 9.5 GW across compute, residential, agricultural, and transit loads.
Subdomains
Knowledge Entries
Nuclear SMR Baseload Generation
Small modular reactors provide the arcology's 5.0 GW nuclear baseload through a fleet of 17-65 reactor modules, depending on design selection. SMR technology is real and advancing — NuScale holds NRC standard design approval for 77 MWe, BWRX-300 is under construction at Darlington (Ontario), Kairos Power's Hermes is the first non-LWR approved for construction in the US in 50 years, and Deep Fission broke ground on a borehole reactor pilot in Kansas in December 2025. Siting reactors within or beneath an inhabited megastructure requires regulatory frameworks that do not yet exist, though the NRC's 2023 performance-based EPZ rule opens a pathway.
Solar Integration and BIPV Deployment
Building-integrated photovoltaics can deliver 5-11 TWh annually from the arcology's facade and terrace surfaces — roughly 5-10% of total energy demand. Solar cannot be the primary energy source, but at Burleson County's excellent irradiance, the envelope must generate power. The ziggurat form is actually solar-favorable: terraced surfaces can tilt toward optimal angles while vertical facades avoid the worst of the self-shading penalty. Orientation-specific technology allocation — opaque silicon on south facades, semi-transparent on east/west, thin-film on north — and agrivoltaic terrace design with spaced bifacial panels over shade-tolerant crops optimize the combined energy-food-amenity yield.
District Thermal Distribution
District thermal distribution for 10 million residents across 5,000 vertical feet requires 6,600-12,000 MW thermal capacity, 6+ pressure zones, and 500-2,000 km of internal piping. The physics is understood; the integration at this scale is unprecedented. Fifth-generation bidirectional networks with data center waste heat recovery are the most promising architecture. Validated against ASHRAE Climate Zone 2A cooling loads and current world-record installations including Empower Dubai (~6,000 MW total district cooling) and Varanto Finland (90 GWh seasonal thermal storage).
Power Generation Budget
Total power budget of 9.5 GW from a mixed portfolio: 17 next-generation SMRs (5.1 GW), solar (1.0 GW avg), grid supplemental (1.5 GW), and speculative early fusion (1.9 GW). 65% allocated to compute infrastructure, reflecting the arcology's dual purpose as human habitat and AI platform.
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Open Questions
Can the NRC's 10 CFR 50.33 performance-based EPZ framework be extended to approve reactors sited beneath an inhabited megastructure — where evacuation is impractical and the 'site boundary' is the building itself — or does this require a fundamentally new regulatory category beyond what site-boundary EPZ provides?
What is the realistic deployment timeline for 17+ SMR modules at a single site, given that no nation has deployed more than 4 simultaneously and the largest planned multi-unit SMR site (Ontario) targets only 4 BWRX-300 units by 2035?
How should seismic isolation for sub-foundation reactor modules interface with the arcology's own seismic isolation system, given that Japan's FSIS technology validates floating isolation for standalone SMRs but has not been tested for reactors coupled to a 1,500-meter structure?
What is the appropriate on-site spent fuel storage capacity for a 60-year operating lifetime generating 100-150 tonnes HM/year, and can sub-foundation geological formations suitable for borehole reactors also serve as permanent dry cask storage?
What is the net yield gain from orientation-optimized BIPV allocation versus uniform panel deployment across the ziggurat, accounting for the structure-specific self-shading pattern at each terrace level?
Can perovskite-silicon tandems demonstrate less than 1%/year degradation over 10+ years in hot-humid (>38C, >70% RH) outdoor conditions, given that all published field data comes from temperate climates?
At what scale does the power optimizer + string inverter architecture require a dedicated DC bus backbone per facade zone, and what are the reliability implications of millions of MLPE units distributed across a 1,500-meter structure?
How does NREL's observed 2-3x modeling uncertainty for vertical bifacial PV systems affect lifetime yield predictions across the arcology's thousands of facade zones?
What is the optimal number and height of vertical pressure zones — is 6 zones at 250m each the right configuration, or would 8-10 shorter zones reduce heat exchanger losses while increasing pumping stages?
Can thermosiphon effects provide more than 10-15% of design circulation in the vertical risers, and what temperature differential is needed to sustain useful natural circulation at 250m zone heights?
How much of the estimated 500-2,000 km internal pipe network can be routed through the mechanical spine versus distributed through habitable floors?
At arcology scale, what is the optimal ratio of centralized heat pump stations (at pressure zone boundaries) to decentralized zone-level units — and does bundled procurement of thousands of identical units offset the maintenance complexity?
What is the appropriate thermal storage technology mix — how should cavern TES (Varanto-type), BTES, and ATES be combined given foundation engineering constraints on the underground volume?
What regulatory pathway could enable SMR siting adjacent to a dense population center, given that current NRC exclusion area requirements (10 CFR 100) prohibit residence within the exclusion zone and require distance from population centers exceeding 25,000 people?
From: Power Generation Budget
What is the realistic timeline for deploying 17 SMRs at 300 MWe each, given that the current frontier for same-site multi-unit deployment is 12 units (X-energy Xe-100 for Amazon Cascade)?
From: Power Generation Budget
Is the 1.9 GW fusion allocation realistic within the construction timeline, given that CFS ARC (~400 MWe) targets first power in the mid-2030s and fleet replication would require 2-3 years per additional unit?
From: Power Generation Budget
What is the NOAK cost trajectory for 300 MWe class SMRs — can fleet deployment achieve $5,000/kW or below, given that the BWRX-300 FOAK at Darlington is ~$14,600/kW?
From: Power Generation Budget
Can ERCOT's natural gas supply chain weatherization be independently verified before committing to a 1.5 GW grid dependency, given the August 2025 state auditor finding that gas infrastructure hardening remains inadequate?
From: Power Generation Budget