First Hydrogen consolidates its collaboration with the University of Alberta’s Renewable Thermal Laboratory. The initiative aims to design and optimize small modular reactors(SMRs), integrating advanced nuclear technology with green hydrogen production.
SMR development and technologies
Professor Muhammad Taha Manzoor leads the project from academia, with a multidisciplinary approach that addresses materials, fuels and safety structures. Such synergy takes on relevance in the face of rising electricity demand projected by artificial intelligence-driven data centers, which could require up to 160% more energy by 2030, according to projections by Goldman Sachs.
The SMR reactors reactors have technical benefits: their compact design allows remote installation, mass production and scaling up on demand. They also offer improvements in operational safety and use alternative fuels with lower refueling requirements, reducing initial costs.
Canada, for its part, has a consolidated nuclear base with 22 active reactors that generate 15% of its electricity. Initiatives such as the fourth-generation SMRs in New Brunswick, OPG ‘s Darlington project and exploration in Saskatchewan provide an ideal ecosystem for the implementation of this technology.
First Hydrogen ‘s vision includes using energy production from SMRs to generate green hydrogen . green hydrogenintegrating this clean source into its line of fuel cell-powered light commercial vehicles. With more than 6,000 km of testing in the United Kingdom, the company’s ICEVs achieve ranges in excess of 630 km per charge.
Prime Minister Carney has identified SMR technology as strategic for strengthening energy sovereignty. In parallel, the global need for investment in energy infrastructure exceeds $1.7 trillion in Europe and $50 billion in the United States.
Source and photo: First Hydrogen
