Clean Energy Pioneers
A single Rolls-Royce SMR unit can power approximately one million homes.
A different approach
Climate change is affecting every aspect of our lives. It is a global issue and one that must be tackled in a united way. The energy we use, whether through electricity or heat and the way that we travel, contributes to our global carbon footprint.
The European Union has committed to cutting carbon emissions by 55% by 2030. The United Kingdom has set a target of a 78% reduction by 2035. These significant reduction targets will only be met if we think differently about the way we invest in, build and run our energy infrastructure.
Electricity supply has achieved the most significant decarbonisation success in the UK and some European countries - particularly those with nuclear in the mix. But predicted global emissions have still not peaked, making it even more important that countries seeking to identify a route to Net-Zero consider the significant benefits of deploying nuclear, particularly lower cost, small modular nuclear solutions.
Globally, the sources of energy we consume have hardly changed since the 1960s – oil, coal and gas. What has changed has been the amount we use. In 1965 we used 40,000 terawatt-hours of fossil fuels, but by 2019 that had climbed to 136,000 terawatt-hours. in 2019, just 16% of global primary energy came from low-carbon sources including nuclear and renewables. This further emphasises the huge shift that will be required if we are to tackle the decarbonisation challenge in a united way.
At the heart of investment to enable the energy transition is growth – through employment, through GDP growth and through supply chain transition, to enable the roll-out of low carbon energy sources for electricity, for hydrogen production and for the manufacture of synthetic aviation fuel.
Inaction is not a solution and it is right that low cost nuclear continues to be developed as a core component of the Net Zero challenge.
We therefore believe that Rolls-Royce SMRs have a vital role to play in ensuring a global fleet of reactors can provide low cost, deliverable, global and scalable and investable solutions to this challenge as soon as possible.
