Researchers Say Small Modular Reactors Can Help Meet Green Goals Amid Other Sustainability Efforts

The green revolution has been underway for a few years now and has been gaining momentum.

Amid this, tech conglomerates such as Google, Apple, Meta and others are striving hard to reach their net-zero carbon emission goals – a campaign that took a hit with the widescale adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) technologies.

The rising consumption of AI technology was met with an equal rise in consumption of energy and this made a lot of environmental-conscious activists concerned, along with people from the industry as well.

It’s safe to say that AI and GenAI advancements will not take a backseat considering how it’s revolutionized almost every industry.

Instead, AI leaders Microsoft, Google and Amazon pledged to uphold their commitment to reduce their carbon footprint by turning to cleaner sources of energy – small modular reactors AKA nuclear energy.

Microsoft partnered with Constellation Energy Corporation for a 20-year power purchase agreement that will include restarting Constellation's Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear plant’s Unit 1. Google announced it signed the world’s first corporate agreement to purchase nuclear energy from multiple SMRs developed by Kairos Power. Amazon revealed it would develop four advanced SMRs with Energy Northwest.

SMRs are advanced nuclear reactors with smaller physical footprints that can be built faster than traditional ones and can be built closer to the grid. These nuclear solutions offer a clean, round-the-clock power source that can reliably meet electricity demands with carbon-free energy every hour of every day, meaning that they can fulfill AI’s power-hungry data centers and more.

Now, researchers from the University of Michigan share that SMRs are economically viable and are expected to deliver on their promises by 2050.

As per the study, by then the number of SMRs deployed could reduce the US’s annual carbon dioxide emissions by up to 59 million metric tons. However, this will require help from the government and associated industries.

“While expensive and challenging, SMRs do have the potential to be deployed,” said Max Vanatta, lead author of the study, adding, “Even though they're expensive, they can still be the lowest cost option.”

In comparison to conventional nuclear power plants, which require several specialized buildings and elements, SMRs are smaller and can fit in a single building at the site where its power will be deployed. The downside is that it produces only around 30% of the power of an average conventional plant.

However, in addition to its clean energy and sizing advantages, nuclear power is similar to how we use energy from fossil fuels, allowing it to integrate easily with existing grids.

This is what Microsoft plans to do with its move - generate around 835 megawatts of carbon-free energy to the PJM grid, which covers 13 states and spans Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.


To curb its carbon footprint further, Microsoft is getting innovative. At its new data center in Northern Virginia, the company is opting to use cross-laminated timber (CLT), a fire-resistant prefabricated wood material, as opposed to traditional steel and concrete.

The move comes as the company aims to become carbon-negative by 2030, along with offsetting all its emissions since it was founded, by 2050.

The wooden frenzy doesn’t end at data centers on Earth.

Japanese researchers recently revealed that the world's first wooden satellite would be launched into space on Tuesday.

Developed by Kyoto University and homebuilder Sumitomo Forestry, LingoSat (Ligno means Wood in Latin) is a palm-sized satellite made of timber that will be taken to the International Space Station (ISS) on a SpaceX mission and then released into orbit at around 250 miles above our little blue planet.

As per the researchers, wooden satellites also reduce the environmental impact at the end of its life.
Takao Doi, an astronaut who studies human space activities at Kyoto University, said, “With timber, a material we can produce by ourselves, we will be able to build houses, live and work in space forever.”

What do you think of the use of wood in technology? Do you think it will inspire other technology companies to follow suit?

Let us know in the comments below!