4 ms·
A single breakthrough in fusion invalidates the title.
by vasco 2y ago
A single breakthrough in fusion invalidates the title.
- xracy 2y agoI mean, fusion energy is still 10 years out. Just like it was a decade ago.
- ggm 2y ago20.
- sdenton4 2y agoFusion is only eight minutes out, and always has been...
- gravescale 2y agoThere's a graph somewhere (edit: here¹) which indicates that fusion within X years has been estimated to be roughly a fixed number of billion dollars (kilos of gold, whatever, insert unit of monetary value) away since forever, and it's not that it's getting endlessly futher away as time passes, it's just that functionally zero money has been spent on it, so it's just not getting any closer. In fact, that any progress has been made at all is testament to the tenacity of researchers who are operating on a fraction of the budget described as "fusion never". ¹: http://imgur.com/sjH5r http://imgur.com/sjH5r
- xracy 2y agoI mean, I guess that's a possibility, but it's also impossible to prove, and the graphs of "what might've been" are probably more likely to be incorrect than correct.
- tuatoru 2y agoNo, we need ~100 breakthroughs in science and a similar number in engineering for fusion to compete with solar which is headed for under $1 per MWh capital cost.
- 7thpower 2y agoThey are powered by fusion, in a sense.
- psychoslave 2y agoThat's a very valid point here. The general discourse is blured with the misguiding with terms such a "producing energy", when physics clearly show great results with the assumption that there is only energy transfer and never any production. At best we can produce a way to capture existing energy and route it where we feel useful.
- moooo99 2y agoSo a breakthrough like the one people are saying is just around the corner for 40 years now?
- pfdietz 2y agoSo, you think fusion is a "single breakthrough" from practicality? You clearly don't understand the issues facing fusion.
- staunton 2y agoEven if/when we manage to build working fusion power plants, those will be big and quite expensive...
- gravescale 2y agoYes, and my grandmother sprouting wheels would also invalidate the title of my blog post about needing to buy a bicycle.