Re:US Department of Energy: Fusion Ignition Achieved
by ag315 on Wednesday December 14, 2022 @08:48AM
(#33983385)
By 2030? Lol. Lmao, even. 2050 if we're lucky--we're still not even close to developing a reactor that can produce meaningful amounts of power for a sustained period. It'll take decades more to get to that point, and once all the technical limitations have been crossed and we figure out how to get enough tritium, the actual hard work begins of getting it online and integrated with our current system. Fusion is distant future technology.
Re:US Department of Energy: Fusion Ignition Achieved
by bearmode on Wednesday December 14, 2022 @05:03AM
(#33981750)
Regular fission plants take 5+ years to construct. So in the next 2-3 years you're expecting this technology to become mature enough to roll out and hook up to the power grid?
Re:US Department of Energy: Fusion Ignition Achieved
by pauljurczak on Wednesday December 14, 2022 @12:57AM
(#33980463)
> I fully expect a working fusion plant of some kind by 2030
Right. The first law of fusion physics: working fusion power generation in 10 years. It has been proven true for the last 7 decades. Rock solid.
Re:US Department of Energy: Fusion Ignition Achieved
by bratbag on Wednesday December 14, 2022 @05:47AM
(#33981955)
The joke used to be fusion was always 30 years away. Then the joke was it was always 20 years away. Now the joke is it's always 10 years away.
People paying attention over this time have noticed it getting closer as we improve our capabilities.
The next iteration of the joke will be 'fusion was always inevitable'
I fully expect a working fusion plant of some kind by 2030, assuming funding increases. Once we get them commercialized; coal, wind, solar and other power production will be obsolete for the most part. We can also use fusion heat to separate waste into it's base elements (you can recycle anything!), and help make any process needing a lot of thermal or electrical energy more efficient.