Small modular nuclear reactors could be a crucial technology in
the drive to decarbonise our energy system, according
to Small Modular Reactors: The next big thing in
energy? published on Thursday by Policy Exchange.
The increased take-up of electric vehicles, the general
electrification of our energy system and the need to decarbonise
all sectors of our economy mean we need new low carbon sources of
electricity and heat to replace existing capacity and meet rising
future demands. The diffuse and intermittent nature of solar and
wind means that we cannot rely on them for 100% of our energy
needs – for example, January typically sees at least one week
where virtually no electricity is produced by either wind or
solar compared with what is needed. Buying in electricity through
interconnectors from other Western European nations will be
increasingly difficult as our neighbours also turn to wind and
solar and so have less capacity to export, while the battery
storage capability to back up renewables could cost up to £1
trillion.
We need a reliable and affordable low carbon form of energy -
small modular reactors have the potential to be that technology.
Policy Exchange’s recommendations include:
- · Use
SMRs as part of our energy mix to reduce the system costs of
decarbonisation, thereby reducing consumer bills in the long
term.
- · The
Government should proceed swiftly with the development of at
least one third generation (Gen III) small modular reactor design
after the results of their current consultation are published
- · Launch
a consultation with heavy industry into what services advanced
fourth generation (Gen IV) reactor designs could also bring that
would be of use to them, like hydrogen production to use in low
carbon steel manufacturing.
- · SMR
producers should prepare for hydrogen to become a larger part of
our economy, from replacing the gas currently supplied to homes
for heating to powering a new generation of low-carbon vehicles.
This means developing the technology to create hydrogen using
nuclear power.
- · The
Government should also commission polling of populations closest
to potential sites for SMRs to inform decisions on where they are
located.
- · SMR
producers should plan to make the most of nuclear capacity,
heating nearby homes with the excess water currently pumped into
the sea and developing storage battery storage to ensure the most
efficient use of power generated.
Matt Rooney, Policy Exchange’s Energy and Environment Research
Fellow, who wrote the report, said:
“In the next decades, we are going to need previously unthinkable
levels of new low carbon electricity capacity for charging
electric vehicles and to replace coal and gas. Whilst the cost
reductions of solar and wind power have been impressive, their
very nature means we can’t rely on them without investing huge
amounts in storage technology.
“Based on 2017’s data, this month is likely to see at least a
week when solar and wind output is almost zero, meaning we can’t
rely solely on them without huge investment in currently
inefficient storage or backup power. To power our current
electricity system for a typical five day working week in January
using batteries alone would require the capacity equivalent to
approximately 200 million Tesla Power Walls, which would cost up
to £1 trillion.
“There is no other low carbon energy which can match nuclear
power for scale and reliability, as well as the potential to use
it for other services like district heat and hydrogen production.
The failure of the nuclear industry to prove that it can finance
and build large reactors on time and to budget means that the
development of small modular reactors must be one of the central
goals of government energy policy.”
