How do you provide carbon-free, reliable electricity for remote operations and military installations? What’s the best way to power massive cargo ships and disaster relief efforts? How, in a developing nation with an unreliable electrical grid, can operators of an aluminum factory or a water purification plant get the steady, reliable power they need?

An up-and-coming type of nuclear reactor could help answer these questions while providing a foundation for renewable energy, if the fledgling technology can survive some growing pains, according to a new report by researchers at Idaho National Laboratory. Read on to learn more about microreactors.