Development and modelling of microgrid system architecture with redundancy from nuclear and traditional sources for critical infrastructure: Improving the reliability and security of energy supply

Ievgen Alfimov
Received 28.05.2025, Revised 21.10.2025, Accepted 24.12.2025
Abstract

This article presented a conceptual model of' an intelligent energy system with combined power sources intended to improve the continuity, stability and security of energy supply to facilities. It was based on a comprehensive approach that combines analytical, comparative and structural-functional methods. It was based on the premise that a microgrid, as a hybrid system, combines an microreactors, renewable sources, and backup generators controlled by artificial intelligence to provide a stable power supply. Microreactors can reduce energy costs by 15-25%, and integrating renewable sources can increase capacity utilisation by ≈35% when long term storage systems are used. The hybrid architecture of “microreactors (core) + renewable sources + storage + emergency reserve” provided >99.9% availability and reduces the probability of failure to ≈1%, which meets the requirements of critical infrastructure systems. Hierarchical control is central, with local controllers coordinated by a central artificial intelligence module increasing system stability by 30-40%. The operational cycle of the Artificial Intelligence-based Energy Management System runs in real time at 1-2 second intervals, ensuring rapid load balancing, response to emergency events, and isolation of network segments in the event of a cyber threat. The regulatory requirements of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission stipulate fault tolerance, redundancy and testing in a hardware-in-the-loop environment, while phased modelling using Python for Power System Analysis, Power Systems Computer Aided Design, and Real-Time Digital Simulator minimises technical risks and increases the accuracy of system verification. The developed microgrid system model is flexible, scalable, and cyber-resilient, combining nuclear, renewable, and traditional energy sources into a single intelligent control loop, ensuring uninterrupted and autonomous power supply to critical facilities under any conditions. The results can be used in conceptual engineering, project structures, and defence agencies to create autonomous and cyber-resilient microgrid systems

Keywords:
microgrid; very small modular reactor; energy storage systems; intelligent power grid management; long-duration energy storage; power grid digital twin; power grid autonomy

Retrieved from Volume 23, No. 2, 2025

Pages 19–33

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Alfimov, Ie. (2025). Development and modelling of microgrid system architecture with redundancy from nuclear and traditional sources for critical infrastructure: Improving the reliability and security of energy supply. Journal of Kryvyi Rih National University, 23(2), 19-33. https://doi.org/10.31721/2306-5451-2025-2-23-19-33
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