Merged How Close is power from Nuclear Fusion

[Gord_in_Toronto]

I suppose I should report more progress.

US achieves ultra-hot plasma for fusion efficiency with metal screens

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory study suggests that a Faraday screen can help achieve the extreme temperatures needed for nuclear fusion.

interestingengineering.com

Any day now.

 

[arthwollipot]

Another tiny step forward. Yay!

 

[shemp]

Only 49 years and 11 months away!

 

[arthwollipot]

Only 49 years and 11 months away!

That's a month shorter than it used to be.

 

[Mikemcc]

I am liking that so many independent companies are looking to build prototype plants in relatively short time scales.

UK-Centric view

Delivering fusion energy and HTS magnet technology - Tokamak Energy

Developing the technology to commercialise clean, secure fusion energy and our high temperature superconducting magnet technology.

tokamakenergy.com

Home - STEP

Fusion energy will be the next great breakthrough for humankind. So we’re building a prototype fusion powerplant. By 2040. STEP is a UK-led,

step.ukaea.uk

A more general overview:

Top 33 Fusion Energy startups (January 2025)

Fusion Energy - is an attempt to build Sun-like reactor on Earth that produces times more energy than it consumes. In a fusion process, two lighter atomic nuclei (deuterium and tritium) combine to form a heavier nucleus, while releasing...

www.energystartups.org

Strangely, not so much news from our old favourite:

Home

www.emc2fusion.com

Maybe (hopefully) 10 years rather than 50.

 

[arthwollipot]

Plan To Build First Commercial Fusion Reactor - NeuroLogica Blog

How close are we to having fusion reactors actually sending electric power to the grid? This is a huge and complicated question, and one with massive implications for our civilization. I think we are still at the point where we cannot count on fusion reactors coming online anytime soon, but...

theness.com

 

[arthwollipot]

Another small step closer than it was yesterday:

China's 'artificial sun' shatters nuclear fusion record by generating steady loop of plasma for 1,000 seconds

A nuclear fusion reactor in China, dubbed the "artificial sun," has broken its own record to bring humanity one step closer to near-limitless clean energy.

www.livescience.com

 

[rjh01]

Another small step closer than it was yesterday:

China's 'artificial sun' shatters nuclear fusion record by generating steady loop of plasma for 1,000 seconds

A nuclear fusion reactor in China, dubbed the "artificial sun," has broken its own record to bring humanity one step closer to near-limitless clean energy.

www.livescience.com

The report does not say at what temperature the plasma is. My guess (without evidence) is that it is not anywhere near hot enough for fusion.

 

[shemp]

Only 49 years and 10 months now!

 

[arthwollipot]

The report does not say at what temperature the plasma is. My guess (without evidence) is that it is not anywhere near hot enough for fusion.

Correct. They still have not attained both sustained plasma and ignition in the same facility.

 

[Puppycow]

Gord, would you mind adding the tags "fusion" and "fusion power" to this thread to make it easier to find?

I came across a video from PBS Space Time recently (an excellent science channel, imo). It is focused mainly on what material to make the wall of a tokamak out of. That probably doesn't sound very interesting when I put it like that, but it is an important question to be solved.


I didn't come away from it thinking that practical nuclear power is coming in my own lifetime, or even in the foreseeable future. But that's my own pessimism more than the overall tone of the video.

 

[Gord_in_Toronto]

Gord, would you mind adding the tags "fusion" and "fusion power" to this thread to make it easier to find?
I came across a video from PBS Space Time recently (an excellent science channel, imo). It is focused mainly on what material to make the wall of a tokamak out of. That probably doesn't sound very interesting when I put it like that, but it is an important question to be solved.


I didn't come away from it thinking that practical nuclear power is coming in my own lifetime, or even in the foreseeable future. But that's my own pessimism more than the overall tone of the video.

I would love to do that but I think it requires admin privileges.

How did you find it because I could not without the Search function working.

I was going to post this: https://www.yahoo.com/news/alloy-could-fortify-fusion-reactors-143000765.html and a couple of other links I did not save.

 

[Puppycow]

I would love to do that but I think it requires admin privileges.

How did you find it because I could not without the Search function working.

I was going to post this: https://www.yahoo.com/news/alloy-could-fortify-fusion-reactors-143000765.html and a couple of other links I did not save.

Well, someone did it, so thanks. I thought the OP could do it. I have added tags to threads I started in the past.

 

[arthwollipot]

Well, someone did it, so thanks. I thought the OP could do it. I have added tags to threads I started in the past.

On the old software, yes. I stopped doing that when the tags I added to my threads were deemed frivolous.

 

[Gord_in_Toronto]

Even m . . . o . . . r . . .e progress:

Leak-Proof Magnetic Confinement System Design Breakthrough in Fusion Energy Research

A team of researchers from The University of Texas at Austin, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Type One Energy Group has resolved a long-standing challenge in sustaining fusion energy by achieving reliable fusion power generation closer to realization in the prospect of plentiful...

www.azoquantum.com

Any day now.

 

[shemp]

Any day in 2075 now.

 

[arthwollipot]

Another breakthrough. Real progress.

 

[Puppycow]

Even m . . . o . . . r . . .e progress:

Leak-Proof Magnetic Confinement System Design Breakthrough in Fusion Energy Research

A team of researchers from The University of Texas at Austin, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Type One Energy Group has resolved a long-standing challenge in sustaining fusion energy by achieving reliable fusion power generation closer to realization in the prospect of plentiful...

www.azoquantum.com

Any day now.

In the interest of saving you a click:

The research team details the discovery of a shortcut that can enable engineers to design leak-proof magnetic confinement systems ten times faster than the current standard method, without compromising accuracy.

It seems more like an incremental step than a breakthrough. It's a paper about a method to design a stellarator, not an actual working prototype.

 

[theprestige]

Enabling technologies gonna enable.

 

[Gord_in_Toronto]

Others seem to think it is a real breakthrough.

https://news.utexas.edu/2025/05/05/university-of-texas-led-team-solves-a-big-problem-for-fusion-energy/

Breakthrough shrinks fusion power plant and expands practicality

Commercial fusion power plants may be cheaper and easier to build thanks to a breakthrough by TAE Technologies that allows reactors to generate their own containment fields without the need for massive magnetic coils and other systems.

newatlas.com

https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-crack-70-year-fusion-puzzle-paving-way-for-clean-energy/

YMMV.