There is an old saying that says that fusion is always only 10 years away. But there have been developments over the past few years that may indicate progress. Certainly the company Helion must be confident: they have announced they've begun work on the site of its first fusion power plant, Orion, located in Chelan County, Washington. The project is supposed to provide power to Microsoft by 2028. The press release also states:
Helion’s approach of rapid iteration and testing has enabled the company to make steady progress toward a commercial fusion machine. Its 7th-generation prototype, Polaris, is expected to demonstrate the first electricity produced from fusion. With its previous prototype, Trenta, Helion was the first private company to achieve a fuel temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius, which is generally considered the required operating temperature for a commercial fusion power plant.
When something finally comes online, we should all celebrate the 10th anniversary of the final time fusion was 10 years away....
ReplyDeleteAnd cut all funding to ITER, but that goes without saying.
Yes. Why are we spending money to help China develop fusion power?
Delete(This is my skeptical face)
ReplyDelete