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paulkienitz

(1,296 posts)

33. Fusion doesn't just have to become feasible, it has to become cheap to make any difference

Wed Feb 9, 2022, 05:50 PM

Feb 2022

Even if we were able to build a fully working mature sustainable fusion plant tomorrow, the power it produced would still be substantially more expensive than that from solar cells. Fusion will probably be the dominant source of power someday for future colonies among the moons of Jupiter or the asteroid belt, but I don't think it'll make economic sense here in our lifetimes.

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Major breakthrough on nuclear fusion energy [View all] RussBLib Feb 2022 OP

At this point I don't even think bringing fission reactors on line will save us exboyfil Feb 2022 #1

Stop. NurseJackie Feb 2022 #3

Good Thing This News Isn't About Fission. ruet Feb 2022 #9

Industrial fusion reactors are 20+ years away exboyfil Feb 2022 #10

"Can mankind hold out that long?" --- Certainly. Of course. NurseJackie Feb 2022 #2

I am not saying we can't achieve great things exboyfil Feb 2022 #5

I'm not one of the wholly pessimistic types RussBLib Feb 2022 #22

No thanks! NurseJackie Feb 2022 #23

well, you know what to stay away from RussBLib Feb 2022 #25

Minor breakthrough. n/t PoliticAverse Feb 2022 #4

I'm curious why you say that. Phoenix61 Feb 2022 #18

Fusion scientists tend to be overoptimistic, which is why fusion has been.... PoliticAverse Feb 2022 #19

This sounds pretty big. Phoenix61 Feb 2022 #20

I wish them success but as I have been following fusion progress announcements for over 40 years... PoliticAverse Feb 2022 #24

I've wondered over the years what will be the Phoenix61 Feb 2022 #29

This message was self-deleted by its author DesertGarden Feb 2022 #39

AI is based on 0's and 1's. It's pushing the envelope Phoenix61 Feb 2022 #41

This message was self-deleted by its author DesertGarden Feb 2022 #43

Microprocessors were new technology that Phoenix61 Feb 2022 #44

I wrote what an 8th grader would call a "research paper" on the "Elmo Bumpy Torus" in the 8th grade. Gore1FL Feb 2022 #45

That's not even the first step of addressing the climate crisis and its implications. Calista241 Feb 2022 #6

So what is going to power all those electric vehicles exboyfil Feb 2022 #14

It doesn't have to be clean energy plants to have a disastrous economic effect on petro-states. Calista241 Feb 2022 #32

for the last 6 years 80 percent of our power Woodwizard Feb 2022 #34

This message was self-deleted by its author DesertGarden Feb 2022 #40

An economy powered by renewables would look nothing like the economy... hunter Feb 2022 #48

Did you happen to catch this interview on Watt It Takes with Nigerian-American mahina Feb 2022 #42

Heard About This On BBC News Hour Via NPR... GB_RN Feb 2022 #7

In 1989 one of my British Associates, whos was working for JET took me aside at a NASA Conference... Rotegard Feb 2022 #8

Yep WA-03 Democrat Feb 2022 #11

It's a hard problem. But hard problems can be solved. Happy Hoosier Feb 2022 #12

There are opportunity costs Rotegard Feb 2022 #28

Yes that is a popular joke exboyfil Feb 2022 #13

I know someone on the Princeton team.... Happy Hoosier Feb 2022 #15

Nobels and the thanks of a frightened world exboyfil Feb 2022 #16

Me too! NT Happy Hoosier Feb 2022 #17

Focus fusion is closer to break even rolypolychloe Feb 2022 #21

There are at least two break even points. Igel Feb 2022 #36

Focus fusion doesn't need containment fields rolypolychloe Feb 2022 #47

Small steps, but each is good news. Aussie105 Feb 2022 #26

Great, but you and i know that BadgerKid Feb 2022 #27

Since this involves hydrogen . . . toopers Feb 2022 #30

hydrogen fuel cells work best as a supplemental range extender for a battery car paulkienitz Feb 2022 #35

So the use of Hydrogen cells is not a reasonable source for primary power? toopers Feb 2022 #37

the big issue with fuel cells is delivery of the hydrogen to the point of use paulkienitz Feb 2022 #38

While this is another baby step to what's possible, when ITER Cheezoholic Feb 2022 #31

Fusion doesn't just have to become feasible, it has to become cheap to make any difference paulkienitz Feb 2022 #33

11 MW from two 500 MW flywheels fizzix137 Feb 2022 #46