Reply To: Fusion Oil

[JShell]

Well, I see the story as a little bit different than just “lets develop FF so that the world has cheap energy”

I think its an issue of climate change and developing a form of renewable energy that could be cheaper than coal and fossil fuels. I think focus fusion is necessary because

1) Coal, oil, and natural gas for electricity and transportation are major emitters of greenhouse gasses, and the primary sources of energy for most of the developed world. Given the current economic situation, wind and solar are too expensive to replace fossil fuels. They’re also too intermittent and dispersed to replace the energy needs of major cities. Nuclear fission creates nuclear waste problems, and many nuclear fusion projects are a long way from breakeven.

2) Developing countries feel that they can’t afford to pay more for renewable energy because they’re trying to get themselves out of poverty. Yet, China’s CO2 emissions already equals that of the US. If they continue on their current path, the world will never stop emitting greenhouse gasses.

3) Thus FF could be a way of reducing emissions dramatically by undercutting coal-fired power plants, as an insurance policy against the possibility of future damages wrought by a changing climate.