HUGE breaktrough for unlimited supply of energy

[zookeeper]

Over the longterm, this past week will be remembered as one of the biggest scientific moments of our age. This is truly HUGE.


"It may be the most ambitious scientific venture ever: a global collaboration to create an unlimited supply of clean, cheap energy. And this week it took a crucial step forward."

One giant leap for mankind: £13bn Iter project makes breakthrough in quest for nuclear fusion, a solution to climate change and an age of clean, unlimited energy - The Independent

This puts fusion into perspective: nuclear-fusion-rocket-could-reach-mars-in-30-days

[kbsooner]

Wow, a design project that goes 80 years from conception to reality. Thanks for posting...

[MadMonk]

So, should we start investing in deuterium and tritium futures?

This is pretty cool, but I'm cautiously optimistic.

[zookeeper]

Wow, a design project that goes 80 years from conception to reality. Thanks for posting...

Yes, that's right. You have to give Ronald Reagan credit here as it was a big deal when the U.S. accepted the USSR's offer to cooperate in a project on the feasibility of nuclear fusion and was the birth of the ITER Project. To think in a mere 35-40 years we could very well be looking at commercial nuclear fusion plants up and operating. It would be one of the greatest achievements in the history of science. The go ahead to begin construction on the skin, or the blanket as they call it, is the single biggest moment to date for a future with nuclear fusion on our planet.

[zookeeper]

This is a great BIG THINK video with Michio Kaku on how ITER will get us to fusion.

[zookeeper]

Here's a view from the future looking back, a fun video with a good explanation.





An ITER fact sheet.

[Snowman]

Over the longterm, this past week will be remembered as one of the biggest scientific moments of our age. This is truly HUGE.

I think the week they have the demonstration model working would be the one to remember, they have been trying variations on how to attempt fusion power production for decades.

[zookeeper]

I think the week they have the demonstration model working would be the one to remember, they have been trying variations on how to attempt fusion power production for decades.

Actually, you're right. When DEMO is up and running that will obviously be incredible. I understand the skepticism, but they knew they couldn't get the go ahead on the very expensive blanket unless the math was working out in other projects and inside ITER. For the first time, the math is there, the physics of the project is sound and the go ahead on this phase of ITER has always been seen as a point of no return.

[OKCisOK4me]

Watch out for 20 different looking Val Kilmers.

[BoulderSooner]

Watch out for 20 different looking Val Kilmers.

this is nuclear fusion not cold fusion NASA?s cold fusion tech could put a nuclear reactor in every home, car, and plane | ExtremeTech

[Bunty]

As fusion for energy gets closer to reality it will be interesting to see if Oklahoma chooses to do nothing about it for its oil and gas industry will be wiped out.

[Plutonic Panda]

It isn't going to happen for a LONG time, I'm willing to bet on it. They've been saying this for years and years. It will happen in 20 years though. lol

[jn1780]

As fusion for energy gets closer to reality it will be interesting to see if Oklahoma chooses to do nothing about it for its oil and gas industry will be wiped out.

Nuclear fusion is the least of Oklahoma's or Texas worries. I can think of dozens of other things that will affect Oklahoma before Nuclear Fusion even begins to enter the picture.

Plus, they haven't even built this yet. It wouldn't be the first time scientists and engineers have run into an unfixable engineering problem even though a design works on paper

[Midtowner]

There are a lot of big industries with a strong vested interest in killing this thing in its infancy.

[Plutonic Panda]

It's sad isn't it. You couldn't be more right though. I wouldn't be surprised if some of these corporations are responsible already for the "problems" they've had with this technology. You can obviously tell how immature humanity is when we will certainly wait until the last second to do something like Nuclear Fusion for our power needs. We put a piece of paper that is deemed valuable by a man made system before our planet that supplies us, feeds us and ultimately, made us who we are today.

[yukong]

The reality is, I doubt very seriously that any of us will be alive to see some sort of energy producing replacement for fossil fuels that will be reliable enough for airplanes, helicopters or other machines that need constant fuel and power. Can you imagine the size of such a reactor that would be needed to keep a 787 in the air. Or a Cessna 180 for that matter. How about one that would power an FA18 or F22? Just don't see it. And I don't know if I would risk my life for such. I wonder if oil will ever be fully replaceable for applications such as this? Maybe just maybe some cars could be powered thusly via batteries that are recharged by the fusion reactor. But really, I doubt that without cold fusion. I realize Doc Brown had a cold fusion reactor on the Delorean Time machine, but I just don't see it being an adequate replacement. It would be great if so...but I doubt any of us here will see it.

[ou48A]

There are a lot of big industries with a strong vested interest in killing this thing in its infancy.

Always looking for the conspiracy^
There are many trillions of dollars and billions of people in many energy poor nations around the world that are more than enough by many times to counter balance any attempt to stop this project, if its ever viable.

[mkjeeves]

The reality is, I doubt very seriously that any of us will be alive to see some sort of energy producing replacement for fossil fuels that will be reliable enough for airplanes, helicopters or other machines that need constant fuel and power. Can you imagine the size of such a reactor that would be needed to keep a 787 in the air. Or a Cessna 180 for that matter. How about one that would power an FA18 or F22? Just don't see it. And I don't know if I would risk my life for such. I wonder if oil will ever be fully replaceable for applications such as this? Maybe just maybe some cars could be powered thusly via batteries that are recharged by the fusion reactor. But really, I doubt that without cold fusion. I realize Doc Brown had a cold fusion reactor on the Delorean Time machine, but I just don't see it being an adequate replacement. It would be great if so...but I doubt any of us here will see it.

Maybe not in our lifetimes. We sure probably won't see the doomsday end of oil scenarios either but more likely will transition to lighting, heating, general building and manufacturing power needs as well as generally use electric vehicles powered by other than fossil fuels.

[jn1780]

It's sad isn't it. You couldn't be more right though. I wouldn't be surprised if some of these corporations are responsible already for the "problems" they've had with this technology. You can obviously tell how immature humanity is when we will certainly wait until the last second to do something like Nuclear Fusion for our power needs. We put a piece of paper that is deemed valuable by a man made system before our planet that supplies us, feeds us and ultimately, made us who we are today.

On the flipside of this argument, there are many more corporations that will say we don't need to reduce energy usage because a miracle solution to all our energy problems is "just around the corner".

[Plutonic Panda]

Always looking for the conspiracy^
There are many trillions of dollars and billions of people in many energy poor nations around the world that are more than enough by many times to counter balance any attempt to stop this project, if its ever viable.

It was my understanding that there are a few corporations out there that are more powerful and influential some pretty big countries. I'm not going to name any right now, because, for the life of me, I can't remember the scope, but I remember seeing somewhere that if Walmart were it's own country, it would be in the top 10 largest economies in the world. I am a conspiracy theorist, I love conspiracies, however I try to be rational though.

Now I don't think Exxon Mobile or Devon has a team of mercenaries going around killing whoever threatens their profits and future, but I'm sure they have bought out senators and blackmailing is rampant. It happens all the time. I don't think these "small" nations would even really be interested in nuclear power as most seem to turn to solar and wind power, which I am against, just fyi.

[Plutonic Panda]

On the flipside of this argument, there are many more corporations that will say we don't need to reduce energy usage because a miracle solution to all our energy problems is "just around the corner".

Well, I really can't argue with that lol. . . If we new for sure, then I'd say yeah haha..... But, I think Nuclear Fusion will be here "eventually"(if you know what I mean by that), sort of like our towers we're getting here in OKC lol. . .

[Plutonic Panda]

The reality is, I doubt very seriously that any of us will be alive to see some sort of energy producing replacement for fossil fuels that will be reliable enough for airplanes, helicopters or other machines that need constant fuel and power. Can you imagine the size of such a reactor that would be needed to keep a 787 in the air. Or a Cessna 180 for that matter. How about one that would power an FA18 or F22? Just don't see it. And I don't know if I would risk my life for such. I wonder if oil will ever be fully replaceable for applications such as this? Maybe just maybe some cars could be powered thusly via batteries that are recharged by the fusion reactor. But really, I doubt that without cold fusion. I realize Doc Brown had a cold fusion reactor on the Delorean Time machine, but I just don't see it being an adequate replacement. It would be great if so...but I doubt any of us here will see it.

Even me?????? I was born in 93' lol. I hope your wrong about that. I was thinking one day how we would get a rocket into space without fossil fuels and then I thought SPACE ELEVATOR and then launch rockets off of the moon where gravity is less of an influence and burden. I'm not to familiar with the raw power of a 747 or 787, but I'm sure it massive. How about anti-matter? lol

[ou48A]

As fusion for energy gets closer to reality it will be interesting to see if Oklahoma chooses to do nothing about it for its oil and gas industry will be wiped out.

There are many energy problems that I hope the new GE energy research center will be working in collaboration with OU to find solutions for.

When the boom of oil and NG is over we should do everything we can to have fall back positions in place for our state’s economy. Some would be partly based on new and improved methods of production and energy use. But let’s use this current oil boom to partly fund our states efforts.

We already have one of the best energy saving manufactures in our state. ClimateMaster produces state of the art water- source and Geothermal Systems that are probably the very best in the world right now. I own one………OSU has done good research in this area…


Though research and manufacturing Oklahoma can become a world leader in high tech energy.
We can transform our state’s economy making our self’s more prosperous with sensible state investments in our university’s and with incentives for the right corporations.

[HangryHippo]

There are many energy problems that I hope the new GE energy research center will be working in collaboration with OU to find solutions for.

When the boom of oil and NG is over we should do everything we can to have fall back positions in place for our state’s economy. Some would be partly based on new and improved methods of production and energy use. But let’s use this current oil boom to partly fund our states efforts.

We already have one of the best energy saving manufactures in our state. ClimateMaster produces state of the art water- source and Geothermal Systems that are probably the very best in the world right now. I own one………OSU has done good research in this area…


Though research and manufacturing Oklahoma can become a world leader in high tech energy.
We can transform our state’s economy making our self’s more prosperous with sensible state investments in our university’s and with incentives for the right corporations.

Ah, but the devil, as always, lurks in the details. What are the right corporations? While easy to tout, this is where things have the potential to become very problematic.

[ou48A]

Ah, but the devil, as always, lurks in the details. What are the right corporations? While easy to tout, this is where things have the potential to become very problematic.

The right corporations are another post/ topic
But they are probably those who would qualify for our states quality of jobs act. Which is not very problematic at all.
The state folks seem like they know what they are doing with the incentives for corporations.