Nuclear small modular reactor (SMR) company Terrestrial Energy is teaming up with Schneider Electric.
Canada-based Terrestrial is developing a 190MWe Integral Molten Salt Reactor (ISMR).
The companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly develop commercial opportunities and advance the deployment of IMSR plants.
Terrestrial said its IMSR plant is designed for rapid construction, scalable deployment, and to achieve lower costs. The company notes its offering could provide dedicated power for large data centers as well as co-generation for heavy industrial facilities.
The collaboration aims to offer solutions to the major energy challenges faced by data center operators, providing low-cost, reliable, and emissions-free baseload supply.
“Schneider Electric’s value proposition is to leverage digital twin technology across the full IMSR project lifecycle and during operations – resulting in a reduction of project time to market and cost as well as more efficient operations,” said Gary Lawrence, president of power and grid systems at Schneider Electric. “We are excited to collaborate with Terrestrial Energy on IMSR deployment projects and contribute to meeting the increasing demand for electrification across different market segments.”
“Schneider Electric is the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, a supplier with capabilities central to the reliable and efficient operation of IMSR plants,” added Simon Irish, CEO of Terrestrial Energy. “The IMSR’s use of next-generation fission technology – Generation IV molten salt technology – delivers the transformative improvements in the commercial performance of nuclear energy necessary to meet the fast-growing demand for zero-carbon energy across many industrial applications and markets.”
Terrestrial aims to commission its first IMSR power plants in the early 2030s.
Nuclear power, especially via newer reactor technologies, is being increasingly explored by data center firms. Equinix recently signed a pre-agreement granting the company first refusal on 500MW of capacity from Nuclear firm Oklo.
Last year Blockchain firm Standard Power announced plans to procure 24 SMRs from NuScale for two US data center sites.
Microsoft has previously signed a nuclear carbon credits deal with Ontario Power Generation for its operations in Canada and recently signed an energy agreement deal with nuclear fusion startup Helion (though doubts remain on the latter's ability to deliver by the announced date, if at all). It has also signed a 24/7 nuclear power deal with Constellation to power its Boydton data center in Virginia.
Schneider launches BESS product
This week also saw Schneider Electric announce the launch of an all-in-one battery energy storage system (BESS) for microgrids.
The lithium-ion-based BESS captures energy from different sources and stores it in rechargeable batteries for later use. The company said the stored energy from a BESS can be discharged to supply power to office, industrial, or commercial facilities, electric vehicles, or the grid.
There are two connection-ready BESS options available: a small, hybrid 7-feet NEMA 3R Enclosure that is both AC and DC coupled, and a medium 20-feet NEMA 3R Enclosure that is AC coupled. Sizes for the family range from 60kW to 2MW in 2h and 4h configurations.
The solution is tested and validated to work alongside Schneider Electric’s standardized microgrid system, EcoStruxure Microgrid Flex.
“With over two decades of expertise in battery conversion, we are proud to introduce a solution meticulously crafted to serve multiple energy needs,” said Jana Gerber, Schneider Electric’s president of North America microgrids. “Our aim is to streamline energy expenditures while amplifying the use of renewable resources, including solar PV. Combining our proven track record of innovation with Graybar's focus on renewable energy solutions will accelerate this mission.”
Graybar, a distributor of electrical, communications, data networking products, and provider of supply chain management and logistics services, is the inaugural channel partner for Schneider’s BESS offering.
This month also saw Schneider partner with RF Code, a provider of asset management lifecycle and environmental monitoring solutions for infrastructure monitoring.
RF Code’s software-enabled wire-free hardware is to be integrated with Schneider Electric’s data center infrastructure management (DCIM) solution, EcoStruxure IT.
