Some even fit inside submarines, ships or spacecraft.īut the “small” part more importantly refers to the power output: anything under 300 megawatts is considered “small.” (Bruce Power produces around 6,232 megawatts, enough to power more than a quarter of Ontario.)įor the North, though, where most communities don’t use anywhere near 300 megawatts of energy, think even smaller. Compare that with the footprint of a conventional nuclear facility like Ontario’s Bruce Power, which occupies four kilometres of shoreline. The entire facility for some of these reactors could fit into an area about the size of a microbrewery, and be shipped by rail. For more information on worst-case scenarios (one might say too much information), just Google “Chernobyl.” What makes an SMR different from a regular nuclear reactor?įor one thing, small modular reactors are, well, small.
![big reactor meltdown big reactor meltdown](http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2011/03/14/1226021/213998-nuclear-power-plant-meltdown-2.jpg)
And that has happened, even recently, with lingering effects: the Fukushima-Daiichi accident in Japan in 2011 has left hundreds of thousands of tonnes of contaminated water with no plan for disposal. The other risk is a meltdown - essentially an out-of-control chain reaction within the reactor, which generates much more heat than is needed with potentially disastrous results. That means no carbon emissions from generating electricity, which is why it’s often classified as a “green” energy source.īut that green label is often called into question: nuclear waste remains highly radioactive and dangerous for much longer than a human lifespan. The key benefit is that nuclear energy doesn’t rely on burning fuel like oil, gas or coal.
![big reactor meltdown big reactor meltdown](http://www.islandbreath.org/2013Year/07/130726meltthru.jpg)
That heat is either converted to electrical energy, usually through turning water into steam to drive a turbine. In a nutshell, the splitting of radioactive atoms like uranium into smaller elements releases heat. Sure, just give me a second and I’ll explain *checks notes* nuclear physics. Here, we break down the details and through the spin surrounding modular nuclear reactors. But whether small modular nuclear reactors are up to the task of replacing diesel is another question. Diesel fuel is the current standard for off-the-grid communities and mines, causing air pollution, service disruptions and environmental liability.
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There is a real need for new electrical and energy technologies in remote communities.
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“This safe, emerging technology has the potential to provide needed power to remote communities, to lower emissions and further to diversify Alberta’s energy sector,” Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said in an August speech announcing the agreement. The governments of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and New Brunswick have also thrown their support behind SMRs, signing a memorandum of understanding last summer. “Small modular reactors represent the next great opportunity for Canada - helping us to phase out coal and electrify carbon-intensive industries such as mining and petroleum extraction, ” Minister of Natural Resources Seamus O’Regan said in a statement. There have been rumblings about the technology for years, but the SMR Action Plan, released in December, lays out Ottawa’s role in advancing the technology. The federal government is gearing up for a big bet on small modular nuclear reactors, or SMRs.