When I wrote in 2021 that small modular reactors were mostly bad policy (peer reviewed version, CleanTechnica version), the argument was not that nuclear fission could not produce useful low-carbon electricity. It was already doing so every day. The United States had about 98 GW of operating nuclear capacity, and … [continued]
chatgpt generated: Split-screen panorama contrasting costly, delayed nuclear projects on the left with wind turbines, interconnectors, and batteries powering a clean future on the right
Canada has put a stake in the ground by deciding which megaprojects are now officially in the national interest. Out of an initial list of 32 candidates I analysed recently, five made the cut. That is a small number on paper, but the financial and climate commitments stretch out for … [continued]
A panoramic charcoal sketch showing the financial trajectory of SMR projects worldwide. From left to right, a canceled U.S. build, Russia’s barge-mounted reactors, and China’s HTR-PM stand as markers of escalating costs, with overlaid bars and numbers highlighting overruns that climb from 75% to 200%
The publication of Kim and Macfarlane’s 2026 study on small modular reactors is a moment worth pausing over. Nuclear energy sits at the margins of most serious decarbonization pathways today, but SMRs have been marketed as the technology that could change that. They are advertised as cheaper, safer, faster to … [continued]
ChatGPT generated panoramic image of a High Priest of Thermodynamics shaking a calculator like a holy relic at the Seven Deadly Sins of Energy — hydrogen, nuclear, carbon capture, fusion, biofuels, offshore wind in America, and ESG
Recently I sat down virtually with Laurent Segalen and Gerard Reid, investors, bon vivants, and hosts of Redefining Energy, the main channel to my nerdcast side channel Redefining Energy—Tech. The reason? A fun episode of their podcast where we talked about sin, energy, and investment. Laurent Segalen [LS]: Today on … [continued]
Nuclear has been a bit of a dirty word in the clean technology community, and for good reason. Fears of nuclear meltdown, support for clandestine or latent nuclear weapons programs, and many other valid concerns have been discussed, sometimes to death and sometimes to exaggeration. But anyone who lives in … [continued]
ChatGPT generated panoramic image of a SMR reactor rusting in the rain, beside an unused and dirty hydrogen pump and a hydrogen van covered in cobwebs
First Hydrogen Corp, a Canadian firm with more ambition than balance sheet, has now turned its sights on Germany — arguably the worst possible place to mix hydrogen hype with small modular nuclear reactors. The company, known mostly for a hydrogen van prototype and a team structure with more CEOs … [continued]
New SMR technology or not, researchers have thrown cold water on the idea of launching the nuclear energy industry into Australia.
In a rare move, CSIRO has defended itself against attacks by Australia’s conservative politicians and the Rupert Murdock media. The fossil fuel focused are reacting to the latest CSIRO GenCost report, which reaffirms yet again that renewables are the cheapest form of electricity generation. CSIRO is Australia’s premier science and … [continued]
The plan includes a big push in Britain for carbon capture usage and storage, floating offshore wind industry, green hydrogen, small modular reactors, insulation of homes, EV charging infrastructure, and heat pumps. Last week, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero unveiled a plan to strengthen Britain’s long-term energy … [continued]
Wrights Law isn’t going to save the deep inefficiencies of SMRs. As I pointed out two years ago, the world tried tiny commercial nuclear reactors in the 1960s and 1970s, they were too expensive.
