"But analysis from the Centre for Net Zero (CNZ) says it would cost 43 percent less to power a 120 MW data facility with renewables and a small amount of gas-generated energy, when compared with an SMR. It claims that a microgrid comprising offshore wind, solar, battery storage, and backed up by gas generation, would be significantly cheaper to run annually than procuring power sourced from a nuclear SMR."
"The current bit barn construction gold rush is driven by all the hype surrounding AI development, but it is causing concern over how to provide enough power for them all, on top of growing energy demand for other uses such as electric vehicles. Datacenter operators have been eyeing up numerous options, including tapping nuclear power, while SMRs have been getting a lot of attention as they could be made small enough to provide on-site power for a bit barn campus."
Renewable generation combined with battery storage and limited gas backup can supply a large datacenter more cheaply than an on-site small modular reactor. A microgrid made up of offshore wind, solar, batteries and gas backup can meet roughly 80 percent of constant datacenter demand over a year, with offshore wind providing the majority of load. Using renewables plus a small amount of gas would cost about 43 percent less to power a 120 MW facility than relying on an SMR. High UK energy prices frame the comparison, but the conclusion could be applicable elsewhere.
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