How Close Are We, Really, To Nuclear Fusion?

StartsWithABang writes: The ultimate dream when it comes to clean, green, safe, abundant energy is nuclear fusion. The same process that powers the core of the Sun could also power everything on Earth millions of times over, if only we could figure out how to reach that breakeven point. Right now, we have three different candidates for doing so: inertial confinement, magnetic confinement, and magnetized target fusion. Recent advances have all three looking promising in various ways, making one wonder why we don't spend more resources towards achieving the holy grail of energy.

Comments

You're looking in the wrong direction

[Henke]

Take a deep breath, accept that you don't know everything and then go here and read about LENR/cold fusion which is about to change the world:
http://www.e-catworld.com/
Or just google it...

Why don't we spend more resources?

[MassHallucination]

Of course we could spend more resources. I think half a trillion $$$ should do it. Fuck, make it a trillion. The central bank wouldn't even notice. We could even get China and Europe to kick in another trillion or so. We could have another energy supply down most likely within 10 years, be it fusion I, II, or III or some generation 4 or 5 uranium/thorium reactors. Then what??? You mean all those millions of people that died because of Petroleum Hegemony died for nothing? That would be too ridiculous to contemplate. No I don't see the USA taking the lead on this unfortunately. The "wrong" people would make all the money. On the other hand it almost seems inevitable that a medium/high tech energy supply will eventually supplant petroleum. Personally I feel the guys in power now would sooner destroy the planet than give up control.

Re:30 years

[Mashiki]

Would have been true, if not for the environmentalist anti-nuke nuts.

Re:Mission accomplished

[Ol Olsoc]

Except when it's a cloudy day. Except when it's night time where you need power. Except where it's not practical or possible to have solar panels. Except that, I surmise, the power density and lifespan of a practical fusion reactor will make it many times more practical than littering every available horizontal surface with solar panels that will have to be replaced in 20 years or less.

You do indeed surmise.

Come back and strut around like a cock-a-whoop after your fusion reactors are actually producing electricity and in use.