2/20/2023 0 Comments Fission fusion![]() ![]() Mumgaard emphasized that machines for fusion research and experiments cost billions of dollars. Confinement is especially crucial in keeping the system hot and dense for long enough to undergo the reaction.īecause of these intense technical requirements, fusion requires heavy capital investment to develop the technology and infrastructure needed to deploy it. To emulate the fusion process on Earth, we also need to create equally high temperature and density and be able to confine plasma at 100 million to 150 million degrees Celsius for long-term reactions to occur. It is the fundamental source of all power in the solar system. So now what? What is private capital doing to move fusion energy from a promising idea to a commercial reality? Fusion requires capital and patienceįusion is what powers the Sun. Now, "the process of transforming ‘I know how to make fusion happen’ to ‘how do you make fusion practical?’ is the role of private industry, because they can do it better, faster, cheaper," said Mowry in a follow-up interview with CEFF. Private industry is building off of long years of fusion science research supported by governments. ![]() A growing number of private enterprises are stepping up to the challenge - as the New York Times recently put it, the technology is "attracting science-minded entrepreneurs and investors willing to make a long bet." These ventures aim to help demonstrate the practical viability of fusion technology. However, fusion still has technological and economic barriers to overcome. For example, fusion is immune to intermittency problems, which solar and wind have been criticized for, and doesn’t carry fission’s public stigma from events such as the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. Fusion also offers advantages over other low-carbon energy sources. Mumgaard pointed out that humankind’s 'desire for deep decarbonization' drives the interest in fusion. If fusion technology can be successfully commercialized and integrated into the electric grid, it could go a long way toward addressing climate change and future energy crises. The nuclear fusion process has virtually no emissions - only helium as exhaust. Mumgaard pointed out that humankind’s "desire for deep decarbonization" drives the interest in fusion. According to Mowry, a number of research programs are achieving breakeven equivalent (Q=1). Here, Q is "the ratio of the amount of thermal power produced by hydrogen fusion compared to the amount of thermal power injected," according to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project. Researchers often use the idea of Q to measure whether fusion energy can produce net-positive energy. ![]() In fusion, two lighter atomic nuclei collide to form a heavier nucleus, releasing an astronomical amount of heat that can be used to generate electricity.įusion has been carried out in experimental settings, but researchers have not yet been able to generate net-positive energy from the process. Nuclear fusion could be considered the opposite of what nuclear power plants use today, fission, the splitting of a nucleus of an atom into two or more smaller parts. Academics, businesspeople and policymakers gathered in Boston in April to discuss the status of energy technology development and showcase new ideas.Ĭhris Mowry, CEO of General Fusion, and Bob Mumgaard, CEO of Commonwealth Fusion Systems, enlightened the crowd on a technology that has yet to make a visible presence in the current energy market - fusion energy. This year’s MIT Energy Conference was all about "tough" technologies and ideas that will revolutionize the energy space. ![]()
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