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Because we've been told for decades that commercial fusion plants are a decade away. So people are understandably cynical about it. Really, physics has had a pr

Because we've been told for decades that commercial fusion plants are a decade away. So people are understandably cynical about it. Really, physics has had a problem of late over hyping things that don't impact people's lives. Maybe that's unfair to expect every discover will directly lead to noticeable changes in technology. But I would argue that researchers over estimate how much people care about their discoveries. Laymen don't understand or care about minor milestones if they don't directly impact them. Or to put it another way, people will be receptive if you have a big achievement at your job but will get annoyed if you tell them every detail about it. So yeah, when people are told fusion is around the corner but all they hear are small improvements that to them mean nothing, its easy to see why. Now obviously not everyone is that way, there are communities of laymen and amateurs online who are interested and do care. But you don't need public press conferences to get to them. A press conference is for Joe Sixpack. And Joe Sixpack assumes when you come calling about Fusion its to say that it works, global warming has been solved and his electric bill will be next to nothing.

LarryMullins 4y ago
> Because we've been told for decades that commercial fusion plants are a decade away. Even if you take the most breathless headlines about NIF at face value, we are obviously still decades away from a commercial fusion power plant. Let's say laser fusion is great and perfect, all we need to do is design a commercial facility that uses modern lasers and then construct it, with commercial turbines/etc, as well as commercial production of the fuel pellets. Just that will take decades. Even basic bitch coal power plants take several years to construct and there's nothing novel about those. But the reality is that even with the best lasers available today, they wouldn't get enough energy out to make this commercially viable. Decades more development time is needed before they can even think about designing a commercial power plant. No sooner than 50 years.

LarryMullins 4y ago

> Because we've been told for decades that commercial fusion plants are a decade away. Even if you take the most breathless headlines about NIF at face value, we are obviously still decades away from a commercial fusion power plant. Let's say laser fusion is great and perfect, all we need to do is design a commercial facility that uses modern lasers and then construct it, with commercial turbines/etc, as well as commercial production of the fuel pellets. Just that will take decades. Even basic bitch coal power plants take several years to construct and there's nothing novel about those. But the reality is that even with the best lasers available today, they wouldn't get enough energy out to make this commercially viable. Decades more development time is needed before they can even think about designing a commercial power plant. No sooner than 50 years.