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References

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Cho,  A., 2019. Smaller, safer, cheaper: One company aims to reinvent the  nuclear reactor and save a warming planet. [Online]  Available at: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/02/smaller-safer-cheaper-one-company-aims-reinvent-nuclear-reactor-and-save-warming-planet  [Accessed 21 January 2021].

Cholteeva,  Y., 2020. Beyond the grid: how small modular nuclear reactors could  deliver direct power. [Online]  Available at: https://www.power-technology.com/features/beyond-the-grid-how-small-modular-nuclear-reactors-could-deliver-direct-power/  [Accessed 25 January 2021].

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As a Global Challenge, there is perhaps few as grand and intricate as the ‘Dual-Challenge’. The ‘Dual-Challenge’ begs the question; how do we simultaneously meet increasing global energy demands, whilst also reducing emissions? It is a societal conundrum. It requires an extensive transition. It implies a shift from an energy economy dependent on finite hydrocarbons producing the unwanted externalities, to an energy mix that is secure and assures intergenerational equity.

The obvious direction to look is renewable technologies, where one can capture the sun’s rays or harness the unrelenting energy of wind and water. The truth is, these natural systems are not universally available as a global solution, nor are the capital costs per unit of energy comparable with hydrocarbons…. yet (Rothwell, 2020).

When considering the path towards UN Sustainable Development Goal #7; ‘Affordable and Clean Energy’, one must reflect that there is no one silver bullet that will meet the commands of the ‘Dual-Challenge’. We must consider diversity, security, feasibility and reliability in the make-up of our energy mix.

Whilst the fundamental science of nuclear power has not changed, proponents of nuclear energy see the ability to downscale nuclear reactors as an important development in the future energy mix. A Smaller Modular Reactor (SMR) offers some potential solutions for the nuclear industry. First, SMRs have significantly lower capital expenditure and timeline than conventional technology (Parshley, 2020). Secondly, SMRs are more agile. They can be left running, turned off and occupy 1% of the space a conventional reactor would. As opposed to churning gigawatts of power like a regular reactor, SMRs are designed like batteries – to be stacked, connected and disconnected. SMRs also claim to appease some of the safety concerns that plague the nuclear industry. Perishable components like valves and pumps have been designed out, whilst fail-safe devices engineered-in making the unit ‘impervious by design’ (Cho, 2019).

For the past two years, my employer has been working on engineering design applications that make some of this technology possible. I am now surrounded by proponents of the SMR nuclear technology and interested in exploring what this could bring to the sustainability agenda.

My podcast shall critically evaluate how these small reactors, might assist us with some of the biggest challenges embodied by the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The Podcast takes the form of a visualised presentation, with a somewhat mono-tone Scottish voice-over. Please click through the slides, consider my points and provide your perspectives in the comments. Enjoy!

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