VIEWPOINT: How Thermal Energy Storage Can Maximize the Promise and Instill Safety in Nuclear SMRs

Miami Herald

3 days ago

This third installment of Brenmiller Energy's (NASDAQ:BNRG) "Viewpoint" Series explores how the Company's bGen™ system can help unlock the full potential of Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology. Energy industry veteran and Chief Executive Officer Avi Brenmiller explains how thermal energy storage can bridge the gap between safe, clean heat generation and real-world demand.
TEL AVIV, IL / ACCESS Newswire / July 11, 2025 / For decades, nuclear energy has sat at the center of the clean energy debate. It's powerful, reliable, carbon-free-and divisive. Critics point to high costs, operational rigidity, and the mismatch between steady-state output and a grid now shaped by real-time demand and fluctuating renewables. But the truth is, the reactor isn't the problem. It's what happens after the reactor does its job.
The good news? That problem is solvable. Brenmiller Energy (NASDAQ:BNRG) (the "Company" or "Brenmiller") - a publicly traded thermal energy storage (TES) company-is one of the few players offering a practical, proven energy storage solution. Its bGen™ system, when modified for SMRs, can act as a thermal buffer, storing clean heat from nuclear reactors and releasing it on demand 24/7/365. It's potentially an innovative fix to one of nuclear's biggest limitations - and potentially one of the most important enablers of the nuclear renaissance no one's talking about yet. But that silence isn't likely to last.
Why? As governments invest hundreds of millions in Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and the reactivation of dormant nuclear sites, they're discovering that critical pieces are missing from the equation: flexibility, dispatchability, and load-following. In short, nuclear needs a buffer-something that can take its powerful, clean, steady heat and make it not only more nimble but usable.
Brenmiller's bGen™ thermal storage system provides exactly that. And it does so with a simplicity that's almost deceptive in its power.
The Ally Nuclear Has Always Needed
Let's start with the obvious: nuclear is great at one thing-baseload. It produces a constant stream of heat and electricity, day and night, rain or shine. But in today's world, that's not always an asset.
Modern grids are increasingly volatile, shaped by solar and wind generation that can spike or drop in minutes. Industrial customers need heat when their processes call for it-not necessarily when the reactor happens to be online at full power. And utilities are under pressure to reduce over-generation and improve capacity factor economics without overbuilding.
That's a tall order for nuclear. But it's precisely the kind of problem Brenmiller's TES platform was built to solve.
Our bGen™ system can store thermal energy - whether from a solar field or industrial waste heat - and releases it on demand. It acts like a giant thermal battery, decoupling generation from consumption. If our bGen™ is configured for an SMR, the nuclear reactor can keep humming at its optimal set point while bGen™ could handle the peaks, troughs, and timing mismatches.
And bGen™ isn't a theoretical solution - it's commercially proven, already deployed in four countries, and being adapted for the next wave of applications like SMR..
In July 2025, we announced that Brenmiller is developing a new bGen™ configuration specifically engineered for SMRs and high-resilience industrial applications. This product builds on our commercially deployed platform and reflects insights from the installation with Enel, a major European utility company, where bGen™ was used to decarbonize combined heat and power operations.
Unlike conventional nuclear storage integrations, this version of bGen™ requires only minor engineering adjustments. Its high thermal mass, passive heat absorption, built-in heat exchanger, and compatibility with secondary and tertiary nuclear loops make it a natural fit for SMR-linked projects. These features also support decay heat removal, load following, and real-time grid balancing - all essential to meet modern energy expectations.
With the SMR market projected to grow at a 30% CAGR to $72 billion by 2033, we believe our timing and technology positioning are aligned with a global resurgence in nuclear investment, driven by the need for cleaner computing, AI infrastructure, and industrial decarbonization at scale.
Potential Synergies of SMRs and TES
Take Oklo and Nano Nuclear Energy, two emerging leaders in the SMR space. Both are developing compact, next-generation reactors built to deliver reliable, carbon-free energy in decentralized, industrial, and off-grid environments. But even with innovative designs, they face the same limitation: delivering safe clean heat on demand - not just when the reactor produces it.
Brenmiller's bGen™ system is aiming to cure this shortfall. Following the adaptation of the bGen™ system for SMRs that is under development, we believe that when paired with SMRs, it will enable true demand-driven delivery. The result? Potentially constant generation with flexible dispatch and improved economics. With a TES configured for SMR, capacity factors could stay high and heat could be stored when the market doesn't need it and sold when prices spike or customers call.
With our development of TES configured for SMR, we aim to ensure that nuclear will be not just clean, but also safe, agile, profitable through Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) models, and relevant in a world demanding both sustainability and responsiveness.
Safety and Risk Reduction Through Thermal Buffering
Beyond flexibility, TES also improves the safety profile of nuclear systems - a critical factor for regulatory acceptance and public confidence.
The bGen™ system can absorb decay heat - the residual thermal energy that continues after a reactor is shut down. This passive heat removal capability can support safer shutdown procedures and mitigate thermal transients, which can otherwise stress reactor materials and control systems.
TES can also reduce:
The need for reactor oversizing to meet peak loadsThe risk of load rejection during low-demand periodsUnnecessary thermal cycling that shortens equipment life
In short, thermal storage could add not just operational value-but structural and safety value.
A Better Business Model for Atomic Energy
Still, we believe that Brenmiller's value-add doesn't stop at technical integration - it can impact nuclear's business case.
By absorbing and time-shifting thermal output, we aim to enable the adapted bGen system to allow nuclear operators to avoid overbuild while serving more customers. Utilities can size SMRs more efficiently and sell heat as a service to nearby industrial clients. Large-scale hydrogen production can operate intermittently without idling reactors. District heating networks gain new reliability and cost stability.
In short, we believe that the adaptation of Brenmiller's bGen™ system will give nuclear leverage. It's not just about storing heat - it's about enabling new revenue streams, de-risking operations, and accelerating return on investment across complex deployments.
And that's what the sector needs right now. Because nuclear power is no longer just a policy decision. It's a business. And businesses need flexibility to win.
Clean Heat on Demand
Let's not forget what's at stake here.
Industrial heat accounts for more than 25% of global final energy consumption. And most of it still comes from fossil fuels. While electricity is going green fast, thermal energy has lagged behind - not because we lack clean sources, but because we lack the systems to make clean heat dispatchable.
This is the bottleneck. And we believe that Brenmiller's TES tech is one of the very few solutions on the market that's modular, commercially ready, and fuel-agnostic.
That last part matters. Because while today's conversation may be about nuclear, Brenmiller's bGen™ is currently being deployed as a solution for electrification of industrial heat from different sources. That means it's not just a bolt-on - it's infrastructure. And for any clean heat strategy to succeed, infrastructure wins the day.
Action Over Debate and Academia
The nuclear sector doesn't need another whitepaper or pilot-it needs tools that work today.
Our systems are already operational, with global collaborations in energy and industry. And with the current development of our new bGen™ configuration for SMRs, we're aiming to deliver a technology designed to support clean baseload generation with the responsiveness that today's grid and industrial customers demand.
While others remain in R&D, we are actively shaping the energy infrastructure of tomorrow through modifications to our existing bGen platform. If nuclear is going to thrive - not just survive - it will need TES solutions as a key ally. We believe that bringing TES into the nuclear conversation could be what finally proves the skeptics wrong about the most powerful energy source on Earth.
By Avi Brenmiller, Chief Executive Officer, Brenmiller Energy Ltd., a global provider of thermal energy storage solutions deployed across Europe, Israel, and the U.S.
About bGen™
bGen™ ZERO is Brenmiller's TES system, which converts electricity into heat to power sustainable industrial processes at a price that is competitive with natural gas. The bGen™ ZERO charges by capturing low-cost electricity from renewables or the grid and stores it in crushed rocks. It then discharges steam, hot water, or hot air on demand according to customer requirements. The bGen™ ZERO also supports the development of utility-scale renewables by providing critical flexibility and grid-balancing capabilities. bGen™ ZERO was named among TIME's Best Inventions of 2023 in the Green Energy category and won Gold in the Energy Storage and Management category at the 2025 Edison Awards.
About Brenmiller Energy Ltd.
Brenmiller Energy helps energy-intensive industries and power producers end their reliance on fossil fuel boilers. Brenmiller's patented bGen™ ZERO thermal battery is a modular and scalable energy storage system that turns renewable electricity into zero-emission heat. It charges using low-cost renewable electricity and discharges a continuous supply of heat on demand and according to its customers' needs. The most experienced thermal battery developer on the market, Brenmiller operates the world's only gigafactory for thermal battery production and is trusted by leading multinational energy companies. For more information visit the Company's website at https://bren-energy.com/ and follow the company on X and LinkedIn.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. Statements that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. For example, the company is using forward-looking statements in this press release when it discusses: the Company's belief that its bGen™ system can help unlock the full potential of SMR technology; that the Company expects that nuclear energy's limitations can be solved with its bGen™ thermal buffer system; that the Company anticipates increasing interest in its solution as governments invest in SMRs and nuclear site reactivations; that the bGen™ system will be able to provide flexibility, dispatchability, and load-following needed for modern nuclear applications; the Company's belief that bGen™ is a match for addressing timing mismatches and peak demands in energy use; the future adaptation of the bGen™ for SMR applications and its future advantages; future SMR market growth estimations; that bGen™ will be able to improve the safety profile of nuclear systems by passively absorbing decay heat; and that the adapted bGen™ system can enable new revenue streams, de-risk operations, and accelerate ROI. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, words such as "plan," "project," "potential," "seek," "may," "will," "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "could," "estimate" or "continue" are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that certain crucial factors may affect the company's actual results and could cause such results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements that may be made in this press release. Factors that may affect the Company's results include, but are not limited to: the company's planned level of revenues and capital expenditures; risks associated with the adequacy of existing cash resources; the demand for and market acceptance of our products; impact of competitive products and prices; product development, commercialization or technological difficulties; the success or failure of negotiations; trade, legal, social and economic risks; and political, economic and military instability in the Middle East, specifically in Israel. The forward-looking statements contained or implied in this press release are subject to other risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the company, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of the company's Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2024 filed with the SEC on March 4, 2025, which is available on the SEC's website, www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law.
Contact:
[e-mail]
SOURCE: Brenmiller Energy