Cheap, practical fusion may be closer than you think.
Nuclear fusion is 30 years away, and always will be. That’s the refrain we’ve heard, again and again for decades.
And yet, quietly, fusion has advanced exponentially since 1970, about as quickly as Moore’s Law. We’ve progressed, in fusion, from clunky TRS-80s and Commodore 64s, to today’s iPhones and Macbooks.
But this is a story that few have noticed. Unlike computers, fusion has to get really great before it’s useful at all. Right now it’s pretty good, but not quite good enough. It’s getting close though.
There’s another reason the story’s been missed. We’ve spent billions on enormous, horribly complex fusion reactors that aren’t expected to be commercially available before 2050…and even then, it’s hard to see how they wouldn’t be too expensive.
But those are not the only game in town. The real overlooked story is this: a handful of small research projects, often running on a shoestring, ready to beat the big projects at their own game. Some of these little projects have attracted serious investment, from venture capitalists and Goldman Sachs.
And not a moment too soon, with CO2 levels already at 400ppm, and no significant emission cuts in sight. The clock’s running out. We need something dramatic.
If we may be permitted a football analogy: We’re five points behind, there’s half a minute left in the game, we’re a long way from the endzone, and we’re not going to get there in time by playing it safe. We need a long pass. We might not win, but it’s the one play that gives us a chance.
Or in gambling terms…it’s worth drawing to an inside straight when there’s enough money in the pot.
The fusion projects listed here give us a shot at power competitive with fossil fuels or (in some cases) far cheaper, with no pollution, perfect safety, and no nuclear waste. Sound too good to be true? Read on. Find out what these projects are, and how we can use better funding mechanisms to improve our odds.
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Fusion Reactor
- JET fusion reactor shutdown highlights nuclear decommissioning challenges
The very first nuclear power station to supply usable electricity was at Sellafield in Cumbria; other power stations using home-developed Magnox-fuelled advanced gas-cooled reactor (AGR) technology ...
- Fusion reactors could create ingredients for a nuclear weapon in weeks
Concern over the risks of enabling nuclear weapons development is usually focused on nuclear fission reactors, but the potential harm from more advanced fusion reactors has been underappreciated ...
- New Breakthrough in Nuclear Fusion - Is the End Near for Coal and Gas?
Nuclear fusion is regarded as the energy source of the future and could revolutionize energy production. Research teams continually develop these projects further and now they've made another breakthr ...
- An 'artificial sun' achieved a record-breaking fusion experiment, bringing us closer to clean, limitless energy
WEST, a fusion reactor in France, broke a record for tungsten tokamaks with a 6-minute plasma. It's an important step toward clean, limitless energy.
- New Fusion Record Achieved in Tungsten-Encased Reactor
A fusion device ensconced in highly durable tungsten sustained a more energetic, denser plasma than previously recorded.
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Fusion Reactor
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Fusion power
- Going solar: The limitless power of the sun
Where there is sunlight, there is energy. This is the reality, especially with how the sun’s light generates one of the most essential sources of renewable energy in the world — ...
- Researchers use superconducting material to make clean fusion energy breakthrough: 'Virtually limitless power production'
Scientists at the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center reached what university press described as a "major milestone" in the realm of fusion power plants. The breakthrough could "usher in an era of ...
- An 'artificial sun' achieved a record-breaking fusion experiment, bringing us closer to clean, limitless energy
WEST, a fusion reactor in France, broke a record for tungsten tokamaks with a 6-minute plasma. It's an important step toward clean, limitless energy.
- New Fusion Record Achieved in Tungsten-Encased Reactor
A fusion device ensconced in highly durable tungsten sustained a more energetic, denser plasma than previously recorded.
- Fusion record set for tungsten tokamak WEST
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) measured a new record for a fusion device internally clad in tungsten, the element that could be the best fit for the commercial-scale machines required to ...
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Fusion power
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