India's energy future: Small modular reactors need strong policy backing

There is a new kid on the block — the small modular nuclear reactor or SMR — and it has the potential to overhaul India’s energy landscape.  However, the way things work, much needs to be done before India can roll out a comprehensive SMR-based power generation programme. 

 

But first, the context.  Going forward, India will need to double its electricity generation every eight to 10 years. While conventional renewable energy (RE) generation is now cheap, storage is not. Moreover, RE in the form of wind and solar is heavily impacted by seasonal and daily cycles, as well as weather-related