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Physics research has got to focus on commercially viable fusion, that is the most urgent environmental and geopolitical problem facing the West if not the entir
by gaius 9y ago
Physics research has got to focus on commercially viable fusion, that is the most urgent environmental and geopolitical problem facing the West if not the entire world.
- Cthulhu_ 9y agoThe commercially viable part will be the most difficult; even if they manage to get more power out of fusion than they put in, and do so in a stable fashion (e.g. always on), even then a reactor will cost in the order of tens of billions to build, and much more to maintain. I'll believe we'll have fusion power within 30-50 years, I can't yet believe it'll be economically viable in that period. It'll have to compete with relatively straightforward means of generating power, like solar. I expect it to be cheaper to just clad every roof in a country with solar panels - and it'll generate more power - than build a fusion reactor.
- Veedrac 9y agoThere are good arguments that new superconductors massively lower the cost of fusion. Old projections on the back of ITER are probably too conservative now.
- Erlich_Bachman 9y agoIsn't the cheap solar power already being developed as a solution? The prices go down, the processes are in place, there are no problems with legislation (like with nuclear power etc) - it looks like a perfect solution and the western world is rolling it out as we speak.
- doikor 9y agoWhat if a discovery (or a side discovery in the engineering work on the experiment) on some totally unrelated field leads to a breakthrough for getting to commercially viable fusion? This is the problem with science. You are never 100% sure what you are going to get (if you did why do the experiment?)