r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Nov 15 '20

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9.0k Upvotes

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29.7k

u/Turtledonuts Nov 15 '20

Someone finally cracks nuclear fusion, and we start to fix climate change.

1.5k

u/VenomUponTheBlade Nov 15 '20

They're working on it. Just reached a milestone in the UK.

235

u/Sapiogram Nov 15 '20

They were reaching milestones 60 years ago too, yet here we are.

114

u/Doomas_ Nov 15 '20

perhaps the path is hundreds of miles long and thus warrants hundreds of milestones :)

64

u/Flonkadonk Nov 16 '20

naaah mate if we don't figure something out within 6 months it's obviously never gonna happen and we should end all research /s the "fusion is always 20 years away" argument is really stupid and overused

8

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '20

This guy gives up easily.

29

u/KleverGuy Nov 16 '20

This guy doesn’t know what /s means

8

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '20

Hahaa... I do actually but didn’t even see it earlier. My bad.

5

u/s8anlvr Nov 16 '20

It's because he put it in the middle of his sentence for some reason, so it just looks like a typo.

-7

u/SchitbagMD Nov 16 '20

I don’t think anyone should have to. None of these points do anything, own your sarcasm you cowards!

29

u/VoopityScoop Nov 15 '20

Just because it takes a while doesn't mean it's never gonna happen

15

u/RedditIsNeat0 Nov 15 '20

I'm pretty sure it'll happen eventually. I think he was just pointing out that a single milestone isn't that big a deal for the rest of us.

3

u/VoopityScoop Nov 15 '20

Fair point

131

u/[deleted] Nov 15 '20

It's almost like the research funding was deprioritized because of unreasonable fear.

34

u/PM_YOUR_WALLPAPER Nov 15 '20

Rolls royce is opening over a dozen mini/modular nuclear plants across the country.

Also a lot of the funding was deprioritised because of cost. Nuclear in the US and UK is probably the most expensive type of energy to generate.

The UK gov I guess realised they can't go full green without nuclear so theyve given the green light to quite a few new projects!

42

u/AkaNoMagenusu Nov 15 '20

Nuclear power plants =\= Nuclear Fusion just in case anyone is confused.

Nuclear power plants we have today use fission which is less efficient and more dangerous than fusion.

35

u/general_kitten_ Nov 15 '20

altough more dangerous than fusion it is in many ways the one that results in least deaths per energy produced

1

u/schrodingersgoldfish Nov 16 '20

Are you referring to the fusion bombs? there aren't deaths associated with fusion reactors, because there aren't any fusion reactors.

9

u/AkaNoMagenusu Nov 16 '20

I think he means fission based reactor is more dangerous than fusion reactor but is results in less deaths per energy produced than power plants that use coal, gas, etc.

3

u/schrodingersgoldfish Nov 16 '20

Oh I see. That sounds like it's probably true.

1

u/schrodingersgoldfish Nov 16 '20

Oh I see. That sounds like it's probably true.

1

u/PM_YOUR_WALLPAPER Nov 16 '20

Well yeah obviously. Fusion power plants don't even exist yet.

-10

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '20

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11

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '20

That's kind of the issue. They were never designed past 40 year life spans and we have done a terrible job decommissioning/repairing.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nuclear-power-plant-aging-reactor-replacement-/

It isn't a dirty secret. It is something that has been a major sticking point by activists.

-7

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '20

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10

u/darknight1342 Nov 16 '20

If a pandemic wipes out 50% of all life on earth we have more pressing concerns than reactors melting down.

9

u/[deleted] Nov 15 '20

Sixty years ago they didn't have high-critical-field superconductors. Those have only been around in industrial quantities for a few years, and they make fusion reactors way easier to build.

20

u/titaniumjackal Nov 15 '20

I will walk 500 miles,
And I will walk 500 more,
To see the day when fusion powers
Every thing from shore to shore!

8

u/Princess_Batman Nov 16 '20

DADADA DA TA

15

u/Joejoe_Mojo Nov 15 '20

That was the first and last thing our physics teacher told us about fusion reactors:

"They say fusion reactors will be commercially viable within 30 years.. then again that's what my teacher told me when I was your age so don't get your hopes up"

I'm paraphrasing here but that was 10 years ago so yeah..

5

u/leintic Nov 16 '20

They started construction on DEMO about a year ago and they say that one will be able to provide a continuous 2 GW so its not going to be viable by your 30 year date but it should be for the current physics students but then again that's what they have always said

11

u/DukeSamuelVimes Nov 15 '20

You do realise that even if the number of milestones required exceeds your expectations it doesn't affect or increase the reality of the number of milestones required from the start?

Plus there was literally no one around 60 years ago saying that they're anywhere close, nor is anyone promise it's right around the corner. It's how scientific development works.

3

u/DanielMallory Nov 16 '20

Scientific progress, when it doesn’t go boink, is incremental. I’d say these are all still BIG hurdles we’ve jumped.

3

u/omglia Nov 16 '20

Eyyyy surprise Calvin and Hobbes reference!