Just found this recording of lecture given by Dr. Barry Green at the Australian National University at:

http://www.fusor.net/board/view.php?site=fusor&bn=fusor_announce&key=1159527423

It sounds basically like a pitch to students to think about a   l o n g  career with ITER should Australia decide to be involved with the project.

The interesting bit for us is at question time at the end. Listen out for an anonymous person (perhaps a student?) making a comparison with focus fusion!

Great post, Andy!  We’ll have to put this in the news section.  The ITER pitch.  Dr. Green acknowledged the many different kinds of fusion possible, and his basic objection to Boron/Hydrogen was the high temperatures required.  Then they brushed it off with “this is too detailed a discussion - let’s have the next question.” 

The next question turns out to be:

Does the potential of fusion mean we give up on fast breeder reactors?

To which he says:

Absolutely not.  ...I think you will do everything.  the energy problem is so big, so severe that you will just do everything.  ... fission is here.  Fission works.  Fission works well.  If you want to start making an impact in the energy production game you use what you have.  We’re [fusion is] a gleam in the eyes as it were.  But as I keep pointing out, if you don’t continue with this work, one thing is absolutely certain, you won’t produce anything.

The irony being, they’ll do everything but try out the Boron Hydrogen fusion and other non Tokamak approaches

Still, very inspiring.  We have a better product, we just need better marketing - to polish our act and take it on the road so to speak.  And we’re doing that now, with, among other things, random unnamed people in Australia raising the issue in a clear and eloquent way.  He explained it well in that short time.

Yeah, tweaking people with these strong interests in fusion etc. is a good idea.  I’m taking a slightly different tack in the last while; I’ve been posting and emailing to to writers and commenters on Green Business, and on green energy sites in general.  E.g., http://www.greenbiz.com/ , http://www.makower.com/index.html , and on articles in Business Week hyping solar power, etc. 

You never know who you’ll clue in and get onside!

Rezwan - 29 September 2006 07:38 PM

Still, very inspiring.  We have a better product, we just need better marketing - to polish our act and take it on the road so to speak.  And we’re doing that now, with, among other things, random unnamed people in Australia raising the issue in a clear and eloquent way.  He explained it well in that short time.

What can I say, I’m happy to help!

http://focusfusion.org/index.php/site/comments/iter_recruits_australians/

I also mentioned Focus Fusion when I appeared before an Australian Senate committee.

http://parlinfoweb.aph.gov.au/piweb/TranslateWIPILink.aspx?Folder=COMMSEN&Criteria=DOC_DATE:2006-05-12;JOB:9266;SEQ_NUM:14;

“It has come to my attention�I am an engineer by training�that there are technologies such as focus fusion, which basically involves a relatively small-scale production of energy, costing in the range of tens of millions to establish. It has no neutron production, so there is less radioactivity or no radioactivity. It has a very high conversion efficiency to electricity. The reason why it may not have been picked up is that it is only a recently researched concept. It has been researched in university laboratories in the United States and Chile. NASA has shown interest in the concept.”

Alex Pollard - 02 April 2008 01:39 PM

Rezwan - 29 September 2006 07:38 PM

Still, very inspiring.  We have a better product, we just need better marketing - to polish our act and take it on the road so to speak.  And we’re doing that now, with, among other things, random unnamed people in Australia raising the issue in a clear and eloquent way.  He explained it well in that short time.

What can I say, I’m happy to help!

http://focusfusion.org/index.php/site/comments/iter_recruits_australians/

I also mentioned Focus Fusion when I appeared before an Australian Senate committee.

http://parlinfoweb.aph.gov.au/piweb/TranslateWIPILink.aspx?Folder=COMMSEN&Criteria=DOC_DATE:2006-05-12;JOB:9266;SEQ_NUM:14;

“It has come to my attention�I am an engineer by training�that there are technologies such as focus fusion, which basically involves a relatively small-scale production of energy, costing in the range of tens of millions to establish. It has no neutron production, so there is less radioactivity or no radioactivity. It has a very high conversion efficiency to electricity. The reason why it may not have been picked up is that it is only a recently researched concept. It has been researched in university laboratories in the United States and Chile. NASA has shown interest in the concept.”

Alex;
Your committee paper link gives the following error: “Unfortunately ParlInfo Web was unable to open the the document you have selected.
Please notify the APH Web Manager using the Mail To link in the page footer below.”
Do you have another link? 

I don’t know if you want to get involved, but I stumbled on this site: http://www.fusor.net/board/index.php?&site=fusor of some long-time table-top and amateur fusion experimenters (notably Richard Hull), who have some decades of experience with “fusors” and Bussard’s ideas and inspiration, etc.  They are very impatient and dismissive of FF and Lawrenceville, and I may already be over my head—but nothing ventured ....

Brian H - 02 April 2008 09:12 PM

Your committee paper link gives the following error: “Unfortunately ParlInfo Web was unable to open the the document you have selected.
Please notify the APH Web Manager using the Mail To link in the page footer below.”
Do you have another link?

I used the permalink and it still works for me.

Alex Pollard - 03 April 2008 12:56 AM

Brian H - 02 April 2008 09:12 PM

Your committee paper link gives the following error: “Unfortunately ParlInfo Web was unable to open the the document you have selected.
Please notify the APH Web Manager using the Mail To link in the page footer below.”
Do you have another link?

I used the permalink and it still works for me.

I guess the error was transient; worked this time (6 hrs later) for me, too. 

Worthwhile emphasis on avoiding arrogant market distortions, exploring non-institutionally vested options (like FF).  But beware of hanging your hat on “Peak Oil”.  Google the “Bakken” oil field, e.g.  And did you know SH hid seismic studies approximately doubling Iraq’s reserves—100 bn bbl in Anbar?! And the Caspian is just beginning to come online. Etc. 

However.  If FF kicks in within a decade or so, the world will be swimming in unnecessary oil.  I’m personally counting on that!