How green is Focus Fusion? Aneutronic fusion has the potential to change the entire world by producing cheap, truly clean, truly safe energy and allowing access to electricity throughout the developing world. It's the greenest thing we can imagine.
Truly Green Nuclear EnergyBefore we can imagine a wonderful future, we need to imagine the ideal energy source. The energy of the future must be safe (no radioactive waste or weapons potential), clean (no GHG or other forms of pollution), cheap, easily distributed, scalable, and sustainable (essentially unlimited). As a concept, Focus Fusion fits that criteria better than any other concept out there.
Ideal EnergyImagine an ideal energy source. What are your criteria? No GHG's, no radiation, no weapons applications, and an end to poverty?
Energy CrisisGlobal warming, peak oil, nukes vs. renewables - where is fusion in all this?
PovertyGoing beyond energy conservation: The need for substantial energy to end poverty.
Unlimited Fear A surprising barrier to fusion: The fear that unlimited, cheap, clean, safe energy will give humanity a license to consume! That can't be good! People need limits. But does "green" really mean "limited"?
A related concern, that people will use the expectation of imminent fusion to not deal with environmental problems.
If Focus Fusion is successful, will it mean that all the investment of time, energy, passion and money that has gone into traditional renewables is wasted? If we can get unlimited energy for a song, will all those solar energy companies go bankrupt? Is this a win/lose proposition?
In: Energy: Meeting soaring demand, “the BBC’s Alex Kirby looks at the challenge of providing the world with energy without damaging the environment, as part of Planet Under Pressure, a BBC series on environmental issues.” As usual with this type of analysis, Fusion is dismissed. In response, I logged on to the BBC and sent a comment to the editor.
What is heat pollution, what causes it and what are the dangers? How does Focus Fusion change the equation?
Here are some thoughts on the transition for the Energy industry. As you can see, we need to think this through a lot more to come up with some practical policies, strategies, suggestions.
Energy consumption itself does not damage the environment. The damage comes from extracting that energy from natural resources, processing it into something consumable, and burning it off/leaving waste behind. Focus fusion would provide an energy supply without these negative environmental impacts - pure, clean energy.
Today, the vast majority of energy is produced the same way it was at the end of the 19th century, by burning fossil fuels. We owe a great deal to these fossil fuels as they have have launched humanity into an unprecedented era of prosperity. However, this power source was not enough to propel everyone into prosperity. We’re literally “running out of gas” while billions of people still remain trapped in poverty.
The Energy Crisis*
*and the fusion footnote
According to many sources, the world today is caught in an escalating energy crisis. The crisis has profound economic, political and environmental impacts, which are steadily getting worse. But there is something missing from the old “Energy Crisis” equation, and that is Focus Fusion.
“The Matrix” movies have an odd take on energy conservation. Apparently, humans “shut off the sun” by darkening the skies with permanent ink. So permanent that even after hundreds of years the sun can’t penetrate it.
