BBC News - US energy chief tells BBC nuclear fusion will soon power the world
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqlz5p314z0o

 

I wouldn't believe much of what is said by any of the current Administration cabinet secretaries. 8-15 years sounds like something Musk has been saying about self-driving cars for years (which should have been here years ago according to his past statements).

At least it didn't seem like he was promoting "drill baby drill"... But he did deny the impact of climate change.

 

I wouldn't believe much of what is said by any of the current Administration cabinet secretaries. 8-15 years sounds like something Musk has been saying about self-driving cars for years (which should have been here years ago according to his past statements).

At least it didn't seem like he was promoting "drill baby drill"... But he did deny the impact of climate change.

I want to come to the US in the next few weeks, so might not be good for us to comment.

 

I want to come to the US in the next few weeks

Be mindful of what you have on any electronic devices. They're subject to search by CBP.

 

Well I'm a citizen and can say with certainty that any guess less than 10 years out is just plain ignorant.

Even if we had a know fusion process today, running at lab or even pilot scale, we still would have almost zero chance of getting a grid-scale power plant up and running in less than a decade. Maybe if we adopted a war-time or Apollo-mission type mentality it could be done, but that's unlikely. And frankly we're years away from having a proven viable process.

Just like my dad used to tell me 50 years ago, fusion power is at least 15 years out.

 

The current World record for sustained fusion is 22 minutes 17 seconds by France.
https://newatlas.com/energy/france-tokamak-cea-west-fusion-reactor-record-plasma-duration/

Before that, China held the record at 17 minutes 46 seconds.

We're a long way from a commercial application.

 

Just like my dad used to tell me 50 years ago, fusion power is at least 15 years out.

I had heard a similar quote, but it was 25 years into the future.
Regardless of the actual number of years, the fact is that fusion energy has proven to be such an elusive goal. It always appears to be within reach, but then an insurmountable hurdle appears.
I am still confident that eventually it will happen. But not in my remaining lifetime.

But I am also terrible at predicting the future.

 

I had heard a similar quote, but it was 25 years into the future.
Regardless of the actual number of years, the fact is that fusion energy has proven to be such an elusive goal. It always appears to be within reach, but then an insurmountable hurdle appears.
I am still confident that eventually it will happen. But not in my remaining lifetime.

But I am also terrible at predicting the future.

It probably will happen this century. It may power the grid or it may initiate another "big bang"! Who knows?

 

I am still confident that eventually it will happen. But not in my remaining lifetime.

Ditto. We'll get there but it may hinge on a materials breakthrough or some other technology we just don't know about yet that will make it easier. The Wright brothers would have been so far ahead if they just had a decent engine, like say a modern motorcycle engine. They literally had to build their own and it wasn't great. Of course they might have just corkscrewed themselves into the ground that much faster.

 

I had heard a similar quote, but it was 25 years into the future.
Regardless of the actual number of years, the fact is that fusion energy has proven to be such an elusive goal. It always appears to be within reach, but then an insurmountable hurdle appears.
I am still confident that eventually it will happen. But not in my remaining lifetime.

But I am also terrible at predicting the future.

It always appears within reach not because it actually is, or because there is any reason to actually think that it is. But because it is simply in the best interests of the snake-oil salesmen to claim that it is, relying on the ignorance of the masses to buy into their hype yet again.

How many Earth-shattering breakthroughs that have been promised as being ten years out have actually happened at all, let alone in anything remotely like ten years? I'm sure there's a few, but the list on the other side would probably wrap around the world.

 

Just like my dad used to tell me 50 years ago, fusion power is at least 15 years out.

Roughly 52 years ago, the professor teaching my class in magnetohydrodynamics said it was 10 years out and always would be. So far, he is still right.

 

It’s a year longer than the duration of a government grant.

 

how is powering the world going to save the world? we will just have different set of problems to worry about...

 

how is powering the world going to save the world? we will just have different set of problems to worry about...

good question,

if there is universal unlimited power , at cheap cost, then

water can be evaporated from sea, meaning no further water shortages ,
which means unlimited ability to grow food
travel becomes unlimited , high speed trains, maglev , ev, transport becomes much cheaper

 

good question,

if there is universal unlimited power , at cheap cost, then

water can be evaporated from sea, meaning no further water shortages ,
which means unlimited ability to grow food
travel becomes unlimited , high speed trains, maglev , ev, transport becomes much cheaper

But electricity bills, train tickets and food will still increase in price.

 

US energy chief tells BBC nuclear fusion will soon power the world

The way USA education is being defunded, and science grants are gone, fusion will not happen here.
The way US lies about everything,,,,,, not happening here.
I hope someone somewhere gets it done.

 

What will happen then to the over-unity crowd, how will they now survive? What will be their motivation to continue their journey of enlightenment?
Will they become flat earthers instead?
Oh, the humanity!

 

But electricity bills, train tickets and food will still increase in price.

I thought the us stand was on competition/ the capital system will ensure low cost , efficient systems
oh, let me think, medical bills, fuel prices, uhm.

 

The way USA education is being defunded, and science grants are gone, fusion will not happen here.
The way US lies about everything,,,,,, not happening here.

Who pursues a STEM career path when you can become an influencer?

This is not idle speculation. I have a niece who graduated with honors from an engineering school. But she is also very attractive and keeps excellent physical shape, and discovered what TikTok could do for her.
Where do you think her income now comes from?

 

medical bills

Don’t you understand? Medical bills are high because it is so highly regulated — I mean you actually need a medical degree to practice medicine! And even then, you can only use drugs and treatments that have been tested and approved! No wonder it costs so much!

(But I think that might be changing in the US in the near future.)

Just in case, the above post is meant to be sarcasm.