{"id":256018,"date":"2024-06-06T14:40:11","date_gmt":"2024-06-06T14:40:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/?p=256018"},"modified":"2024-06-06T14:40:11","modified_gmt":"2024-06-06T14:40:11","slug":"can-small-modular-reactors-add-nuclear-to-the-renewables-equation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/the-role-of-small-modular-reactors-in-clean-energy-transition","title":{"rendered":"Can Small Modular Reactors Add Nuclear to the Renewables Equation?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amazon<\/a> won approval for 15 new data centers<\/a> on its nuclear-powered campus in Pennsylvania last week \u2013 a massive investment<\/a> in cloud capex and a firm vote of confidence in atomic energy by one of the biggest companies on Earth.<\/p>\n

What gives? It wasn’t so long ago that Western countries were shunning nuclear power and even shuttering their reactors<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Rampant inflation<\/a> and the push for net zero<\/a> have changed the picture. Nuclear is back on the agenda as more people realize that fission and radioactive decay are natural phenomena. Like sun and wind, they’re sustainable \u2013 just harder to harness.<\/p>\n

But a return to Big Nuke’s pre-Fukushima glory days isn’t in the cards. What we’re seeing is a re-think prompted by a new class of mini reactor<\/a>. Cheaper to build, safer to run, and able to go where traditional plants can’t, small modular reactors (SMRs) promise a flexible and unlimited supply of carbon-free electricity.<\/p>\n

Is scalable nuclear the next phase of the renewable energy transition? We look at the evidence.<\/p>\n

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Key Takeaways<\/span><\/h2>\n