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Not an expert on this, but by the time fusion energy is here, will it still be relevant? Wind and solar are super cheap now, many countries have regular energy

Not an expert on this, but by the time fusion energy is here, will it still be relevant? Wind and solar are super cheap now, many countries have regular energy surplus that they can't store (yet), do what will an extremely expensive energy generation mechanism add? Once we 'fix energy storage' do we still need fusion?

the_third_wave 4y ago
Yes, it will still be relevant. Wind and solar are unreliable - or reliably unavailable in case of solar at night or in the dark seasons of the far north and -south. Storage is not a solved problem and - barring a true revolution in power storage technology - does not look like it will be solved soon. Wind and solar also take up a lot of space and come with their own set of problems ranging from detrimental effects on wildlife to interference with communications technology. PV panels are coming down in price rapidly but it is not yet clear what can be done with expired panels as they are currently hard to recycle. Wind turbine wings are used as landfill for the most since their composite construction also makes them hard to recycle. Neither solar nor wind can deliver the capacity needed for some high-intensity industries while also feeding the increased power demand from the grid without taking up an excessive amount of space without 'fixing the storage problem'. It may eventually be possible to cover part of the world's deserts in PV panels which produce power to create a transportable - solid, liquid or gaseous - energy storage medium which can be transported without excessive loss and stored locally to create a buffer to be used when supplies are low but this is mostly science fiction for now.
noobermin 4y ago
Fusion would be so much of an abundant energy source we can do electrolysis for free...that is, reverse the green house effect by capturing CO2 and turning it back into carbon black. It would be the only way to not just stop climate change but to reverse it.

the_third_wave 4y ago

Yes, it will still be relevant. Wind and solar are unreliable - or reliably unavailable in case of solar at night or in the dark seasons of the far north and -south. Storage is not a solved problem and - barring a true revolution in power storage technology - does not look like it will be solved soon. Wind and solar also take up a lot of space and come with their own set of problems ranging from detrimental effects on wildlife to interference with communications technology. PV panels are coming down in price rapidly but it is not yet clear what can be done with expired panels as they are currently hard to recycle. Wind turbine wings are used as landfill for the most since their composite construction also makes them hard to recycle. Neither solar nor wind can deliver the capacity needed for some high-intensity industries while also feeding the increased power demand from the grid without taking up an excessive amount of space without 'fixing the storage problem'. It may eventually be possible to cover part of the world's deserts in PV panels which produce power to create a transportable - solid, liquid or gaseous - energy storage medium which can be transported without excessive loss and stored locally to create a buffer to be used when supplies are low but this is mostly science fiction for now.

noobermin 4y ago

Fusion would be so much of an abundant energy source we can do electrolysis for free...that is, reverse the green house effect by capturing CO2 and turning it back into carbon black. It would be the only way to not just stop climate change but to reverse it.