Chernobyl. Terrible nuclear disasters in the wake of humanity, yet it may be our ticket out of climate change. But how?
In an era marked by climate change and sustainability concerns, nuclear energy has never been so crucial. As we dive into the future of nuclear energy, a concept called “Small Modular Reactors” (SMR) pops up with the potential to revolutionise the way we use energy. In this article, we explore what SMRs are, their real-life applications, and their impact on ESG initiatives.
With the number of traditional nuclear reactors growing from the 1950s, energy generation has reached a peak of more the 1600 MWe (Megawatt electric) from a start of 60 MWe – enough to power roughly 4 million homes in the UK! However, concerns over safety, radioactive waste disposal, and construction costs had swung public favour away from nuclear, as the European Union, USA and Japan retired parts of their traditional nuclear fleets. As of 2023, countries such as Italy, Germany and Lithuania have phased out their nuclear fleets entirely.
Despite public disapproval and nuclear accidents, namely Fukushima (2011) and Chernobyl (1986), interest in small modular reactors has increased significantly in recent years, with both private and public stakeholders working to bring this concept into reality this decade. More than 80 commercial SMR designs are being developed around the world, in five different continents, with support coming from economic powerhouses such as the USA, UK and China.
So, what are SMRs exactly? The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) defines ‘small’ generally as reactors producing under 300 MWe. These are designed modularly, prioritising short construction times and versatility in use. Because of these smaller sizes and modularity, SMRs can be almost completely built in controlled factory settings, allowing higher levels of quality control. This allows bespoke designs across SMRs to be minimal, stressing standardisation, which minimises the chances of accidents and shortage of operators. In simpler terms, imagine you have a toy building set, and you can make any car you want. You have all the little parts to build it, and you could either piece lots of small parts together until you have a huge car, but one that’s incredibly hard to take apart or upgrade, or you could piece together a small car that’s just the right size for you to play with easily. Moreover, you could give your smaller car to a friend, and he could play with it and repair it for you easily too without having to fiddle with it too much.
There are four main SMR reactor types:
Light water reactors (LWR) (Often in the form of Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR))
High temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGR/HTR)
Fast neutron reactors (FNR)
Molten salt reactors (MSR)
These SMR designs are considerably smaller than traditional nuclear reactors, usually shunning the common large cooling towers that we all gawp at. They can typically feature on-site water reservoirs (none of the large towers that disrupt the landscape!) and passive safety systems, compared to the more energy-intensive and manpower-intensive active safety systems that traditional reactors utilise. Light water reactors are moderated and cooled by ordinary water and have the lowest technological and regulatory hurdles. However, they generally have a relatively low thermal and fuel efficiency compared to the other designs and have a short refuelling cycle of around six years. They have been in operation from the beginning of nuclear power generation and are typically used for most operating power and naval reactors nowadays. Fast neutron reactors are smaller than LWRs and can have a much longer refuelling cycle of up to 20 years. This means that FNR reactors do not require as much servicing compared to the LWRs and uses up less plutonium in its energy production. However, FNRs are unfamiliar technology, and scientists are focused on developing systems and analysing safety with these reactors. Although Russia is the only country operating a commercial-scale fast reactor, others have begun to catch up.
So, what about ESG initiatives? We’ve explained SMRs and their advantages, but let’s put that into context. We’re all aware of the nuclear accidents that have rocked the world, and of our consequent doubt in such technology. However, let’s look at it from a purely factual perspective.
Our World in Data concluded in 2020 that nuclear energy remains the cleanest source of energy in the world (in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions). In addition, even when accounting for both the Fukushima and Chernobyl disasters, nuclear remains one of the safest energy sources, second to only solar energy. This indicates that countries should be forging ahead with their nuclear research, instead of shying away. In a recent report by the Center for ESG and Sustainability, along with the International Research Institute for Climate and Society from Columbia University, the nuclear industry is an extremely strong performer in all categories of ESG. They are remarkably efficient and consistent with power generation, and SMRs add an extra level of robustness and mobility to it. Additionally, they require much less land – the 470 MWe Rolls-Royce SMR reactor taking up 40,000m2, whereas a 300 MWe solar farm would take up 6,510,000m2. SMRs can address the 7th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) as well, providing remote and rural regions with quick and easy access to power.
With large conglomerates such as Microsoft and universities in the U.S.A experimenting with SMRs and microreactors, it is only a matter of time before public opinion turns.
Sources:
Hannah Ritchie (2020) - "What are the safest and cleanest sources of energy?". Published online at OurWorldInData.org. Retrieved from: 'https://ourworldindata.org/safest-sources-of-energy' [Online Resource]
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