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Showing Original Post only (View all)New magnetic fusion technology could be ready in 5 years [View all]
Despite the fact that nuclear fusion has been pursued as a power source since the 1950s, fusion reactors have yet to be effectively turned into a regular power source. Tokamaks, the first kind of fusion reactor attempted, generated power by using magnets to squeeze and heat plasma in a giant ring. To make it work, you need a massive donut-shaped vacuum chamber, and it can take years to go from construction to power generation. There has been something of a modern revival of fusion reactor attempts, but most designs still are tremendous undertakings, requiring the kinds of resources and infrastructure that usually only governments can provide. And such coordination efforts are difficult in the best of times and can be an impossible sell during severe financial constraints.
So in part, it's the feasibility of the new Lockheed project that makes it so compelling. Much smaller than traditional fusion attempts, the compact fusion reactor uses a cylinder, not a ring, which makes for a stronger magnetic containment field and leaves fewer points where the energy could escape. This could make for a reactor that's small enough for a truck to transport and still robust enough to generate power for 100,000 homes. Lockheed hopes to have a test model available by 2017, and scale up to regular production by 2022.
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2013-02/fusion-power-could-happen-sooner-you-think
If you have a few minutes the video is worth watching. The design is based on a different geometry than the standard Tokamak reactor that allows the new design to be much smaller. In my opinion this technology has a much greater chance of replacing fossil fuels compared to current renewables due to the high cost and low energy density of current renewable technologies.
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Then you should be able to show peer reviewed analysis that support your claim.
kristopher
Nov 2013
#37
I skimmed through "Electricity from Renewable Resources: Status, Prospects, and Impediments"
johnd83
Nov 2013
#50
I think that is the main reason that I don't agree with a lot of people here about energy
johnd83
Nov 2013
#24
Pushing the core problem of our civilization deeper into the future is not my idea of a "solution."
hunter
Nov 2013
#30
Thats exactly why there has been more interest in the proton Boron 11 fuel recently
FogerRox
Nov 2013
#52