Reply To: Energy output calculations?

[Rezwan]

jamesr wrote: Building a tokamak fusion power plant is not a scientific problem, but an engineering one.
The science works and says for a stable plasma with the temperature & density gradients at the edge manageable, then the device needs to be very big. ITER is just about the smallest size that can achieve Q>1.

Just because the first ‘candle’ of fusion needs to operate on a scale larger than our everyday human interactions should not surprise us. Its still a lot smaller than the Sun.

Perhaps we could modify our “energy (in)efficiency” poster on this page (scroll down when you get there) to show the possibilities of ITER. We want a star on earth, without all that mass. And think how much more efficient it is than the sun. It’s like indoor skiing.

To ski, you don’t need a mountain, you just need a slope.

Likewise, for the fusion alternatives, you don’t need to gut the mainline fusion approaches. You need to come up with an assessment of how much money and resources you need, and then look for a diverse revenue base to fund that.

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