According to a new report by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the federal government provided more than $51 billion in incentives over the last decade to help deploy renewable technologies.

The study also projects that if the same types of tax incentives and mandates were applied to small modular reactors (SMRs), the government could see a return on investment that is three times less expensive per kilowatt-hour (KWh) than historical investments in wind and solar.

Renewables accounted for nearly half of the installed capacity in 2017 and are expected to be the fastest-growing energy source through 2040.

As higher penetrations of renewables come online, new opportunities will emerge to help bring resilience and reliability to the grid—something SMRs could meet as a flexible and carbon-free energy source.