Small Modular Reactors: A Strategic Investment for Energy and Economic Security

Abstract

In a new study published in Nature Energy, University of Michigan researchers Max Vanatta and Michael T. Craig, along with William R. Stewart, identify the conditions for SMR success by modeling the potential learning cost curve under different scenarios of investment, policies, and external environmental factors. They find that SMRs offer a viable, cost-effective clean energy solution for industrial heat with the support of well-designed tax policy and under realistic potential natural gas prices.