Google strikes fusion power deal
Google inked a power purchase deal with Commonwealth Fusion Systems and boosted its investment in CFS.
Google inked a power purchase deal with Commonwealth Fusion Systems and boosted its investment in CFS.
Breakthroughs in fusion have triggered a frenzied race to harness a clean energy source that has eluded scientists for decades.
New Jersey has announced a $49 million investment to launch HAX Plasma Forge, a new strategic innovation center focused on commercializing plasma research. The facility will be developed in partnership by New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA), SOSV, and Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL).
Japan and the UK will collaborate on fusion to achieve viable demonstration by the 2030s, combining the UK’s remote-controlled robot technology with Japan’s manufacturing capabilities.
The UK government has announced more than £2.5 billion of investment into fusion energy over the next five years as part of its Spending Review.
EX-Fusion has secured $18.1m in funding to develop fusion technology and enable future applications in manufacturing, healthcare, and space exploration.
Magnetic confinement: Plasma is heated to 100 million °C or more, then squeezed and held in place by strong magnetic fields, allowing many fusion reactions to occur. (Example: tokamaks, stellarators)
Inertial confinement: Tiny fuel pellets are struck by powerful lasers. The outer layer explodes outward, compressing the core to fusion conditions for a few nanoseconds, producing a brief but intense pulse of energy from each pellet. (Example: National Ignition Facility)
Hybrid systems: Combine compression (e.g., from lasers, plasma pistons, or mechanical impact) with moderate magnetic fields to reduce energy losses and improve confinement.
Electrostatic fusion: Uses high electric potentials to accelerate ions toward a central reaction zone, causing them to collide at high energies and fuse. The ions are guided and confined by electric fields rather than magnets, creating a compact environment for fusion reactions.