Nuclear energy needs a new story — one told through bold spectacle built to inspire curiosity and conversation in communities across the country. The backdrop to those conversations is a free and open exhibit – anchored by a 25-foot pavilion housing hand-built interactive stations that offer the fundamentals of reactor operation, safety, fuel cycles, and integration with the grid, as well as direct connections to the stable, high-paying jobs across the nuclear ecosystem.
Visitors handle scale reactor models, load electricity onto a model grid, and activate the safety systems that evolved from past accidents. The whole exhibit is built with biogenic materials that feel futuristic yet natural — mass timber, straw, stone, and canvas. The exhibits themselves embody the prosperous and sustainable future nuclear energy can help to build.
We're launching a decade-long journey across campuses, museums, and communities, fostering the public conversations – and the next-generation workforce – that nuclear energy needs.
Nuclear is our most concentrated clean power source, but it’s abstract and distant to most people.
The Roving Reactor is changing that.
Sign up to receive our quarterly updates.
Some common questions:
Nuclear energy has one of the strongest safety records in electricity production. Modern plants have extensive safety systems and careful oversight. The technology maintains clean air and water, with remarkably few health impacts for the amount of energy generated.
Nuclear power generates significant electricity while keeping our air pristine and watersheds healthy. A single plant can power hundreds of thousands of homes while requiring minimal land use. This helps preserve natural spaces while ensuring communities have reliable power.
Nuclear energy offers distinct advantages. The plants operate reliably 24/7 and generate significant power in a compact footprint - a single facility can power about 850,000 homes. Modern nuclear plants typically operate for 60-80 years, and with advances in factory fabrication they're becoming one of the most cost-effective ways to generate electricity over their lifetimes.
This initiative brings nuclear energy education directly to communities across the country. Drawing inspiration from portable microreactor designs, the Roving Reactor helps people explore nuclear technology through interactive exhibits, including Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) that let visitors experience reactor operations firsthand.
These hands-on demonstrations not only showcase different reactor types - from large-scale to compact modular designs - but also introduce visitors to the diverse career opportunities in nuclear technology, from engineering and operations to maintenance and safety oversight.
The timing is right: Public support has reached 56% of Americans and continues to rise, with communities increasingly open to nuclear power to meet their energy needs.