Scientists have long sought to harness fusion as an inexhaustible and carbon-free energy source. Within the past few years, groundbreaking high-temperature superconductor technology (HTS) sparked a new vision for achieving practical fusion energy. This approach, known as the high-field pathway to fusion, aims to generate fusion in compact devices on a shorter timescale and lower…
The old adage is that fusion power is 30 years away and always will be. The timeline envisioned by the international collaboration for ITER—the colossal, $25 billion–plus reactor under construction in France—is only a little shorter than that. Attaining the first sustained fusion reaction, or burning plasma, is scheduled to occur in 2035 at the earliest….
Inertial confinement fusion could deliver Levelised Cost Of Energy (LCOE) as low as $25/MWh compared with $50/MWh for onshore wind and $100/MWh for nuclear energy, according to new research published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.
Space is exciting. The idea of finding life elsewhere in the solar system or visiting another planet captures the imagination. Private companies like SpaceX getting involved to carry cargo and now crew to the International Space Station are freeing up NASA scientists to focus on more ambitious goals
Creating new sources of sustainable, reliable and zero-carbon energy is a critical national security question and may prove to be an existential threat to humanity. Investors are rushing to fund clean-tech startups that promise to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Perhaps the most transformative of those new, clean energy technologies is fusion energy.
Two and a half years ago, MIT entered into a research agreement with startup company Commonwealth Fusion Systems to develop a next-generation fusion research experiment, called SPARC, as a precursor to a practical, emissions-free power plant.
The oil industry’s search for carbon-free alternatives to fossil fuels has led to many interesting investment decisions over the years. Somewhere high on that list is nuclear fusion, the energy that powers the sun, which has drawn investment from at least three major oil companies.
Oil major Chevron Corp CVX.N said on Wednesday it is investing in Zap Energy Inc, joining Italy’s ENI ENI.MI and Norwegian state oil company Equinor EQNR.OL who have also backed nuclear fusion startups to reduce their carbon footprint.
Realizing nuclear fusion as a practical energy source poses enormous challenges owing to the extreme physical conditions required by the known fusion reactions. These include temperatures of 100 million degrees Celsius or more and astronomically high pressures, which must be maintained long enough to reach a net energy output.
The world has a major problem to solve. By 2040, we will need 29 trillion KWh of new energy generation to support 9 billion people on the planet, a whopping 45% increase in electricity demand. Wind, solar and other forms of renewables are well-positioned to play a key role, but their volatile, weather-dependent nature means…