Presented by: Jonas Kristiansen Nøland, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) Martin Hjelmeland, NTNU

This webinar:
There is an unprecedented need to expand the toolbox of solutions to boost the scalability of clean power and energy systems. Amidst this challenge, nuclear energy is increasingly recognized as an important player in the path toward deep decarbonization of the global energy mix, where small modular reactors (SMRs) are touted as the next big thing in the nuclear sector. This webinar provides an overview of SMR concepts currently under development and deployment. We show their technical features and how they could have a complementary role alongside renewable energies. Nevertheless, there are currently some uncertainties in the techno-economic competitiveness of SMRs, such as whether they can leverage the economics of mass production over their inherent lack of economics of scale. We present expected learning curves to give insights into SMR’s economic competitiveness and potential role as a disruptive solution in the energy transition.

Presenter bios:
Jonas Kristiansen Nøland (Senior Member, IEEE) received the M.Sc. degree in electric power engineering from the Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden, in 2013, and the Ph.D. degree in engineering physics from Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden, in 2017. He is currently involved in the NERES project, exploring nuclear energy’s role in a renewable energy system. Dr. Nøland serves as an Associate Editor for the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ENERGY CONVERSION and the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS, and as the Chair of the IEEE Power and Energy Society (PES) Norwegian Chapter since 2022.

Martin N. Hjelmeland (Member, IEEE) received the M.Sc. degree and the Ph.D. degree in electric power engineering in 2015 and 2019, respectively, His research interests lie in the integration of low-carbon energy sources in the energy system, with a particular focus on the role of nuclear energy. He is currently involved in the strategic research project “Nuclear Energy’s role in a Renewable Energy System (NERES)”.