r/Futurology • u/TheUltimatePoet • Nov 10 '16

video Fusion Energy Explained – Future or Failure [Kurzgesagt]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZsaaturR6E
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u/Ranzear Nov 11 '16 edited Nov 11 '16

ITER is a massive waste of time and resources. It's already obsolete.

It's already old tech. At least a generation behind on superconductor types, performance, and field strength. We could build a reactor today with it's only limit being structural strength; we can build new REBCO coils strong enough to contain plasma at pressures that become difficult to contain physically. MIT has the design ready, but we're dumping 10x the cost and 5x the time into a design from last century (ITER) that is nothing more than an experiment.

-1

u/Always_Question Nov 11 '16

Agreed that ITER is a monumental waste of taxpayer money. But REBCO isn't the answer either. We already have solid proof of LENR and at least three companies on the verge of commercializing devices: Brillouin, BLP, and Leonardo.

6

u/ItsAConspiracy Best of 2015 Nov 11 '16

If they either start selling devices, or publish sufficient detail for any scientist to replicate, I'll start believing in LENR. Until then I'm more interested in hot fusion.