NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory funded focus fusion work up to 2001 via the Advanced Space Propulsion program (same focus fusion science, different application). In 2001, the ASP was defunded and Focus Fusion was one of many programs left to fend for itself. Since then, we have applied for several government grants, without much success. We also find ourselves ineligible for a host of grants due to our "nuclear" status.
This section looks at our history of government funding, our attempts to change the rules (to pass laws that define "aneutronic fusion" as "renewable energy") and the emerging possibility of direct government action through ARPA-E and the stimulus plan.
On February 16-19, PPPL hosted the ICC Workshop (Innovative Confinement Concepts). This coincided with Bill Gates’ TED talk, in which he proposed nuclear fission innovations as a solution to the world energy+CO2 crisis. These two events can be juxtaposed with proactive implications for Fusion research strategy.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu gave a talk at Google, Oct. 26, 2009. During the question and answer period, someone asks him about Focus Fusion.
The House (of Reps) Subcommittee on Energy & Environment Hearing on “The Next Generation of Fusion Energy Research” was held Thursday, Oct. 29 from 10-12. This event can be seen here (RealPlayer required).
Unfortunately, LPP’s concept paper for ARPA-E was not chosen as one of those to be elaborated into a full application.
The notification of acceptance of ARPA-E concept paper has been delayed to mid-July.
LPP has submitted a “Concept paper” to the new Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. We are asking for $ 3 million to complete the current experiment and, mainly, to fund a two-year preliminary engineering efforts, which would overlap with the second year of the experiment.
They say we might have fusion in 50 years. What’s the hold up? What are the barriers to developing fusion? There are many, but the most difficult ones are not so much technological as they are psychological. These barriers exist in the fusion research establishment as well as in the general public.
