this post was submitted on 19 Sep 2024
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The US led on nuclear fusion for decades. Now China is in position to win the race (www.cnn.com)
submitted 3 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Honestly, I think we're getting really very close! We've been in this cycle of eternally "30 years away". These days we're in a cycle of "5-10 years away". That sounds like a joke, but we really are closing in.

Now that said, while we can eventually get fusion to work, it will absolutely not solve all of our energy problems. Once it's actually possible, it will still be the most expensive source of energy available. Which means once we can do it, we won't actually want to do it.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Maybe. The people who have always said 30 years were scientists and engineers. Those now saying 5 to 10 years are VC backed startups.

Progress is definitely being made but I'll believe the optimists when I see the results.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

Those now saying 5 to 10 years are VC backed startups.

It's scientists and engineers saying it, it may also be VCs, but 5-10 is the official line from engineers.

The bottom line is this, maybe one of these startups or smaller reactor designs will work, you never know. But at the end of the day, ITER is scheduled to be completed in 2034, and at that scale, it will be net energy positive, there's no doubt.