Brenmiller Energy Unveils Thermal Energy Storage System for Nuclear Small Modular Reactors, Enhancing Grid Flexibility and Decarbonization
Key Insights
Brenmiller Energy is developing a new bGen™ thermal energy storage system specifically designed to integrate with nuclear small modular reactors.
The bGen™ system aims to provide critical grid flexibility and load-following capabilities for SMRs, which are typically baseload generators.
This innovation leverages Brenmiller's existing bGen™ technology, validated in projects like the Enel installation in Italy, for rapid deployment.
The development aligns with increasing global demand for SMRs driven by energy independence, decarbonization goals, and AI infrastructure needs.
Brenmiller Energy Ltd. (Nasdaq:BNRG), a prominent global provider of Thermal Energy Storage (TES) solutions, announced on July 8, 2025, from Rosh Ha‘ayin, Israel, its strategic development of a new bGen™ TES platform specifically engineered for integration with nuclear small modular reactors (SMRs). This initiative directly addresses the inherent inflexibility of SMRs, which, while reliable for baseload generation up to 300 MW(e), typically lack the agility to meet the dynamic demands of modern grids. The bGen™ system aims to bridge this gap, enhancing SMRs' capability to provide dispatchable, load-following power, a crucial requirement for supporting the burgeoning energy demands of computing and AI infrastructure while bolstering energy independence and large-scale decarbonization.
“The global shift toward electrification and clean heat requires not only innovation but also adaptability,” stated Avi Brenmiller, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Brenmiller Energy. “We believe that our bGen™ system, already validated in real-world grid and industrial settings, is naturally suited to support SMR decarbonization with minimal modifications.”
Brenmiller’s bGen™ system has demonstrated its scalability and resilience through a pilot project with Enel, a major European utility, in Italy. This installation, focused on decarbonizing combined heat and power (CHP) operations, serves as a robust foundation for the continued development and tailoring of TES units for SMR applications. Unlike conventional nuclear storage integrations, Brenmiller’s solution leverages its inherent heat exchanger and high thermal mass, which are already optimized for interfacing with secondary or tertiary loops in nuclear systems. This architecture inherently supports passive heat absorption, load following, and decay heat removal, paving the way for potential rapid deployment in SMR-linked projects.
The company is poised to introduce a bGen™ configuration specifically tailored for SMR and high-resilience industrial applications. This next-generation product is designed to retain Brenmiller’s signature flexibility, safety, and cost-effectiveness while unlocking powerful new use cases in the nuclear and heavy industry domains. The timing of this development aligns with significant governmental and industry shifts, including new U.S. Administration executive orders fast-tracking SMRs, a $900 million U.S. Department of Energy solicitation to support American energy and AI dominance, and the World Bank’s reversal of its ban on funding nuclear power. Furthermore, several European countries, including Denmark, are re-evaluating their nuclear policies to enhance energy independence and achieve decarbonization targets, signaling a growing global embrace of nuclear power as a vital component of the clean energy transition.