This Earth Day I want to take the opportunity to reflect on some of the ways the Office of Nuclear Energy has been working to innovate nuclear technologies, with the goals of supporting U.S. low-carbon energy objectives and protecting the planet from the harmful effects of global climate change.
Nuclear power produces abundant energy with essentially zero carbon emissions. In fact, nuclear power is our nation’s largest source of low-carbon electricity, supplying about 60 percent of non-greenhouse gas emitting power. Nuclear energy can also produce reliable electricity around the clock. This positions nuclear power as a key complement to renewables as we work to meet the dual challenges of rising global energy demand and mitigating global climate change.
Last spring, in collaboration with the Idaho National Laboratory, we held a series of six simultaneous Nuclear Innovation Workshops around the country to gather input on how we can better serve the nuclear community. We heard from diverse voices including folks from academia, industry, labs, regulators, and innovators from the vibrant and rapidly growing advanced nuclear sector. Their collective guidance was clear: There is a strong desire for streamlined interfaces with the Department and the labs, as well as dedicated test beds for experimentation and prototyping new reactor designs. Basically, we need to get faster and better at helping U.S. nuclear businesses succeed in the global energy market as demand for decarbonized energy technologies and systems intensify.
The White House agreed with these recommendations, and in November held a Summit announcing the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN). GAIN is a new framework for how the Office of Nuclear Energy, in partnership with Idaho, Argonne, and Oak Ridge National Labs, will collectively leverage our people, facilities, and capabilities to better support advancing nuclear technologies. GAIN is an organizing principal meant to transform the way we execute public-private partnerships. We are already seeing huge payoffs from this new approach, including the issuance of a Site Use Permit for identifying potential locations for the first small modular reactor.
Shortly after the announcement of GAIN, the momentum continued when, for the first time, the Office of Nuclear Energy participated in the United Nation’s Conference of Parties (COP21) technology expo in Paris. In the end, the agreement reached by 195 countries was unlike any other before it. It is the first-ever, global, legally binding climate deal. At the heart of this agreement is a fresh take on how we will collectively tackle climate change. It stipulates a technology-neutral approach and allows individual countries to determine the energy mix that works best for them. This shift in thinking about how to tackle carbon reductions exemplifies the urgency and pragmatism that make this agreement so meaningful.
Today, on Earth Day, world leaders come together again to ratify the COP21 climate agreement. Here in the Office of Nuclear Energy, we stand ready and eager to support our nation’s efforts to combat climate change under this agreement. Through the formation of GAIN and our ongoing efforts to support research, development, and deployment of advanced reactor technologies, we’re already exploring how we can best leverage our work to help respond to this global challenge. Much of the work we’re supporting today will directly contribute to the innovative, low-carbon energy systems of tomorrow.
There are many reasons to celebrate this Earth Day. As a nation, we are working toward a carbon-free future, innovating the energy technologies of the future, and thinking globally as we work to solve the toughest environmental challenges—on Earth Day and every day.
To check out how our fellow offices at the Department are celebrating Earth Day, visit http://energy.gov/earth-week-2016 and engage on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. #EarthWeek #ActOnClimate
Happy Earth Day!