Variable Electricity with Base-load Reactor Operations Fluoride-salt-cooled High-temperature Reactor (FHR) with Nuclear Air-Brayton Combined Cycle (NACC) and Firebrick Resistance-Heated Energy Storage

In this century man will transition to a low-carbon energy future—either in first half of the century because of concerns about global climate and ocean pH (acidity) changes or in the second half of the century because of depletion of fossil resources in a world of 10 billion people. Since the caveman discovered fire, our energy policy has been to have a storable supply of a carbon fuel (wood, whale oil, coal, natural gas) that we light on fire to provide variable light and heat. The technology may have changed from the wood cooking fire to the natural-gas-fired turbine but the essentials have not—a storable carbon-based fuel coupled to a low-cost method to convert fuel to heat and light as needed.