5 ms·

Always worth balancing these with my favorite skeptical fusion article: VooDoo Fusion Energy https://vixra.org/pdf/1812.0382v1.pdf https://vixra.org/pdf/1812.0

• danuker 5y ago
  From the PDF: > Lockheed-Martin Compact Fusion > “Lockheed will have a small fusion reactor prototype (powerplant) in five years...and a commercial application within a decade,” from MIT Technology Review, 10/20/2014. > “Net energy gain in 2020 and commercial powerplant targeted for 2024,” from NBF May 3, 2016. I suspect we would have heard if they had achieved net energy gain.
  • multiplegeorges 5y ago
    > I suspect we would have heard if they had achieved net energy gain. I dunno, Skunkworks doesn't traditionally like to publicize major breakthroughs until decades later.
    • monocasa 5y ago
      They were pretty heavily targeting civilian commercial applications. If they were keeping it under wraps we would have simply not heard anything at all.
      • hajile 5y ago
        Or the second they got close the feds stepped in and squashed further comment with a gag order.
        • monocasa 5y ago
          The current thought has been that civilian use and proliferation of fusion reactors is a positive thing for the US's security posture, since it opens up nuclear power generation options without nuclear weapons proliferation concerns. Ie. it removes 'this fission reactor is just for power generation, totes not breeding plutonium, or using the centrifuges to develop a weapon' shtick you see from states wishing to become nuclear powers.
          • graderjs 5y ago
            That's encouraging. BTW where do you get information like that? I'd probably love to read more