Fusion Power - the possibility I am excited for
This is more of a research post, I want to outline some major companies around the globe that are researching fusion power.
Fusion power promises unlimited energy for humanity. It fuses two molecules together to make a heavier molecule. However the heavy molecule doesn’t have as much mass. the difference in mass in converted to energy by following Einstein famous theory E = Mc^2
- http://www.helionenergy.com/ : Its based out of Redmond Washington. They have raised small sum of money. Silicon valley investor Peter Theil has invested in this company.
- http://trialphaenergy.com/ : This one is based out of California, and was founded in 98. A long time ago. Needless to say they haven’t perfected the engineering.
- http://generalfusion.com/ : This company is based out of Canada, and from brief glance, looks like the they are trying to create power with pistons that surround the reactor. Pretty neat idea. Jeff Bezos from amazon has invested in this company.
- http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/compact-fusion.html : Lockheed Martin has a initiative to figure out fusion as well. They want to reduce the size of the reactor so that they can iterate faster and learn as much as they can to make fusion energy a reality. This one looks very promising as well.
Why am I excited
There is a lot of private money backing fusion now, and the industry is finally getting the attention it deserves. Fusion will truly change the world in so many levels. Its almost sad that governments around the world don’t recognize the enormous change fusion can bring forth. Making cheap energy without wrecking the environment will change the way we innovate and live. Furthermore, US government alone gives over $175B worth of tax breaks to non-renewable based energy companies through various means. Imaging if US funds some of these fusion companies with even 10% of that money. A new cheap energy source wold revolutionize industries as energy cost will no longer be a concern. It will completely change the way we think of space travel, since energy density of the fuel for fusion reactors is much higher than hydrocarbons. You are literally converting energy to mass - and converting mass to energy is the most efficient way way to get energy!
Supply Chain
For any technology to take life, its supply chain has to mature. This includes not just the main component, but all the side components, accessories etc . Some examples here can be ceramics that can handle the pressure and temperature better, magnetic coils, maintenance supply chain, etc. There is lots of research going on now, and fusion research is not just done in universities and government lab for the sake of science, its being done to get to a point of commercial viability as well, and this is the exciting part.
Thanks for reading my post - and cheers to a better future!