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And ten years from now, someone will submit something, maybe also from Cambridge, saying we're really, really close to a breakthrough allowing clean fusion ener
by Semiapies 9y ago
And ten years from now, someone will submit something, maybe also from Cambridge, saying we're really, really close to a breakthrough allowing clean fusion energy.
They've been saying exactly this for longer than the 42 years I've been in this planet.
- Brotkrumen 9y agoEver been involved in a project that constantly gets its funding cut? https://i1.wp.com/www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/FusionBudget.jpg https://i1.wp.com/www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/20...
- Semiapies 9y agoSounds like an even finer reason not to make bullshit claims of breakthroughs coming any minute now for forty years.
- fpoling 9y agoThe problem with fusion was that until recently it was extremely expensive to build experimental facilities with necessary parameters for meaningful progress. Nobody was ready for that. What happens recently is that due to technological improvement (powerful superconductive magnets, better simulations and faster controls) it is now possible to test things at regimes close to positive energy output on much smaller scales. So these days one can do useful investigation with 1e7 in funds, not 1e9. This is the reason for all various fusion startups. Now, it does not mean that we are going to have fusion soon, but at least it is now only 20 years from any moment, not 40.
- Semiapies 9y agoThe line has always been that fusion is twenty years away. In 2017, in 2007, in 1997, in 1987, and in 1977. It will be the same line in 2027.