![]() Nuclear power, generally, doesn’t emit planet-warming carbon pollution when used and generates more energy per square meter of land use than any fossil fuel or renewable, according to an analysis by Our World in Data.Īt the COP28 climate talks in Dubai in December, the US led a pledge to triple the world’s nuclear energy capacity, which 25 nations have now signed onto. If SMRs help boost the popularity of nuclear energy, they could become a powerful way to address climate change. What they found could help save the world Related article They went hunting for fossil fuels. They started to tick up soon after, but new projects were heavily concentrated in China.ĭrilling operations for white hydrogen by Natural Hydrogen Energy in the US Midwest. Globally, the construction of conventional nuclear power plants dipped following the Chernobyl meltdown in 1986, and fell again after Japan’s Fukushima disaster in 2011, data from the World Nuclear Industry Status Report shows. To convince them that SMRs are a good option, they’ll need to pitch hard on safety. The US is trying to sell SMR technology to countries that have never used nuclear power in their histories. US targets Russia’s and China’s neighbors That’s what the US needs to catch up on.” “China and Russia have more agreements to build all sorts of reactors overseas than the US does. ![]() “There’s definitely a huge race on,” said Josh Freed, who leads the Climate and Energy Program at the think tank Third Way. The International Energy Agency, which outlined what many experts say is the world’s most realistic plan to decarbonize, sees a need to more than double nuclear energy by 2050. But there’s an increasing sense of urgency to clean up our energy systems as extreme weather events wreak havoc on the planet and as challenges with renewables remain.įor some experts, nuclear energy - in all forms, large or small - has an important role to play in that transition. Wind and solar now provide at least 12% of the world’s power, and in some places, like the European Union, they provide more than fossil fuels. Most countries are trying to rapidly decarbonize their energy systems to address the climate crisis. Related article Germany quits nuclear power, closing its final three plants (Photo by Alexandra Beier/Getty Images) Alexandra Beier/Getty Images Approximately 80% of people polled among the general public support some kind of extension. Some are advocating an extension until the middle of 2023, while others are pushing for longer. However, due to the disruption in energy imports from Russia, politicians and other actors are debating extending the operational life of the plants. Isar 2 is one of the last three still operating nuclear power plants in Germany and all three are scheduled to shut down by the end of this year. The big problem: The US hasn’t managed to get an SMR working commercially on land.ĮSSENBACH, GERMANY - AUGUST 14: The Isar nuclear power plant, which includes the Isar 2 reactor, stands seen behind residential houses on Augin Essenbach, Germany. It already lost the wind and solar energy race to China, which now provides most of the world’s solar panels and wind turbines. There’s no mystery behind why the US wants in on the market. China is leading in nuclear technology and construction, and Russia is making almost all the world’s SMR fuel. The Biden administration and American companies are plowing billions of dollars into SMRs in a bid for business and global influence. And the US, Russia and China are battling for dominance to build and sell them. SMRs - which are smaller and less costly to build than traditional, large-scale reactors - are fast becoming the next great hope for a nuclear renaissance as the world scrambles to cut fossil fuels. Dozens of US submarines lurking in the depths of the world’s oceans are propelled by SMRs, as the compact reactors are known. This technology is also being used below sea level. The Akademik Lomonosov, the world’s first floating nuclear power plant, sends energy to around 200,000 people on land using next-wave nuclear technology: small modular reactors. Off the Siberian coast, not far from Alaska, a Russian ship has been docked at port for four years.
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