The 2020s are here. Decades ago, that meant predictions of flying cars, vacations on the moon, robots to clean our homes and even nuclear energy surpassing natural gas in electricity generation. Perhaps we are still years away from these things, but there is a future of rapid technology growth in front of us.
Following the news, you’ll notice that technology solutions are shaping up to play a major role in how we will mitigate the impacts of climate change. New York Times technology and opinion writer Kara Swisher predicted large investments in technology to address climate change—even suggesting that the first trillionaire would be a green-tech entrepreneur.
And nuclear energy is very much part of this innovation boom. With mounting pressure to find real solutions to our climate challenges, it’s no surprise the next generation of nuclear energy is making the headlines:
- Wired: The Next Nuclear Plants Will Be Small, Svelte, and Safer
- Morning Consult: NELA or Not, Congress Funds Reactor Demonstrations at DOE
- BBC News: Rolls-Royce Plans Mini Nuclear Reactors by 2029
- GeekWire: Bill Gates’ TerraPower and GE Hitachi Team Up on Proposal to Build a New Nuclear Reactor for Research
The media are picking up on the momentum around the industry with new nuclear designs set to deploy within the next decade. Some of these designs will be smaller, more versatile and able to integrate better with wind, solar and batteries.
Micro reactors and small modular reactors will bring reliable, carbon-free electricity to rural areas and communities that may not need the large plants we have today.
Excitement for these smaller nuclear reactors is further evidenced by customer demand and the number of developers investing in the next generation of nuclear technology.
NuScale is expected to have its design certification approved later this year, moving us even closer to deploying our first SMR. And other companies like GE Hitachi, Kairos Power, X-energy and Oklo are also investing in their own SMRs or micro-reactor designs. Southern Co. has teamed up with Bill Gates’ TerraPower on molten salt reactor technology.
And thanks to historic-level funding for nuclear energy by Congress, we are accelerating the pace of technology development through nuclear demonstration projects, research and development at our national labs and support for advanced nuclear fuels.
In the early 2020s, the first advanced light water nuclear reactors will be finished—making Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Georgia home to the only four-reactor nuclear facility in the country. Together these nuclear reactors will power more than 1 million homes and businesses.
As more utilities and companies like Google and Microsoft commit to zero-carbon pledges, there is an even greater need for these technology advancements. Nuclear energy is guaranteed to be a piece of the technology solutions that will reduce carbon emissions, along with progress toward carbon capture and battery storage, and advancements in wind and solar.
So maybe 2020 isn’t exactly what you thought it would look like, but there are still game-changing advancements expected that will help us reach our climate goals. But don’t take my word for it—just keep following the news.
