Fusion Power Plant Proposed for 2040s
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is being urged to build a prototype fusion power plant in the 2040s, designed to generate clean electricity by exploiting the nuclear forces that power the sun. The 10-year plan, proposed by a group of U.S fusion scientists as a partial remedy for climate change, is the first since a similar proposal was rejected in 2014.
Roadmap for the Fusion Power Plant Prototype Development
The proposal features a very deliberate plan that entails validating the technology. One way the scientists will do this is by monitoring ITER, which is a fusion reactor under construction in France. The reactor, shaped like a massive doughnut, aims to prove the validity of the underlying “burning plasma” technology over the next 15-20 years.
The problem with ITER is that it costs a whopping $20 billion to develop, a price tag that is obviously far too high for any electric utility. Enter the aforementioned U.S. fusion scientists, whose main focus will be the development of a smaller, less costly solution by leveraging advances in 3D printing, backend software, and similar components.
The fact that the proposal is moving forward is a big win, as DOE officials are much more receptive to practical applications aimed at proving the technology than they used to be. Unfortunately, bringing the development of a fusion power plant over the finish line will require more funding from Congress. For example, the scientists want to build things such as a facility to simulate solar wind and a particle-accelerator–based neutron source – very expensive ancillary items to the reactor itself.
Only time will tell how this might play out, but I definitely like the idea behind it. Fusion has long been the Holy Grail of energy, and at the very least, the reaction to the proposal demonstrates that it is becoming more of a priority to develop.
I like it because it can only help emergency preparedness. Not only could this help curtail climate change, which would help reduce the frequency and severity of extreme weather and storm-caused outages, but it would also introduce an extremely reliable source of energy into the mix. I don’t know if this particular fusion power plant development effort will get over the hump, but a future that involves fusion is clearly moving closer toward becoming a reality.
