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nosmelc t1_j0up4pj wrote

Reply to comment by pete_68 in Fusion energy by [deleted]

I don't know. We seem to be making more progress now than in the past, so it might not be 30 years away. I predict Helion will be the first to get a working fusion power plant going in less than 10 years.

https://www.youtube.com/@HelionEnergy

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pete_68 t1_j0urovg wrote

Boy, that doesn't sound familiar at all.

"Scientists Achieve Fusion Reaction By Firing an Electron Beam at Fuel" - New York Times, June 11, 1977

"Breakthrough in Nuclear Fusion Offers Hope for Power of Future" - New York Times, Nov 11, 1991

"Fusion proponents, he notes, also estimate that commercial applications of their work are at least 20 years off. And it will be 30 years beyond then before fusion power has significant impact." - Los Angeles Times, April 19, 1989

"Actually, fusion research has made remarkable progress in recent years. There is no longer any question of its scientific feasibility." - Scientific American, October 21, 1999.

Color me.... skeptical...

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turbmanny t1_j0v89e9 wrote

Why Helion and not toroidal devices?

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nosmelc t1_j0v9ta4 wrote

Helion's approach of getting electricity directly from the energy created by the fusion reaction seems intuitively to be the way to go. Other approaches rely on getting enough excess heat energy from the reaction to power steam turbines.

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