- #1
peter0302
- 876
- 3
Ok, all you people in the know, what's the real low-down on ITER and the possibility of fusion power reactors this century?
If you believe wikipedia, and ITER themselves, the theory behind efficient fusion power generation is sound and the problems that exist are engineering problems (such as, how do we contain the plasma, how do we prevent the neutrons from weakening the housing, etc.)
Is a fusion power reactor definitely going to happen, the only question being when? If so, why are the US and EU not spending a trillion dollars to do whatever it takes to accelerate the progress like we did for the Manhattan Project? Clearly fusion is the answer to all the world's energy problems - the fuel is cheap, there's no radioactive waste, and the power generated is enormous (10 times the heat put in, according to ITER).
Why isn't fusion the obvious answer?
If you believe wikipedia, and ITER themselves, the theory behind efficient fusion power generation is sound and the problems that exist are engineering problems (such as, how do we contain the plasma, how do we prevent the neutrons from weakening the housing, etc.)
Is a fusion power reactor definitely going to happen, the only question being when? If so, why are the US and EU not spending a trillion dollars to do whatever it takes to accelerate the progress like we did for the Manhattan Project? Clearly fusion is the answer to all the world's energy problems - the fuel is cheap, there's no radioactive waste, and the power generated is enormous (10 times the heat put in, according to ITER).
Why isn't fusion the obvious answer?