One step closer to controlling nuclear fusion

[OKIsItJustMe]

5. Then, by the same token, we shouldn’t count on Gen IV fission reactors

They’ll be ready in 30 years too!


https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/missions/energy_for_the_future/life/

[font face=Times, Serif][font size=5]Laser Inertial Fusion Energy (LIFE):
Tackling the Global Energy Crisis[/font]

…

[font size=4]Delivering Fusion Energy Soon Enough to Make a Difference[/font]
[font size=3]Despite fusion's potential benefits for a low-carbon energy economy, the long timescales typically associated with fusion development have excluded it from mainstream energy policy considerations. The United States is in a unique position to change this paradigm, and deliver laser fusion power stations on a timescale that matters—with LIFE.

The path to LIFE is a four-step process:

1. NIF: Construction and operation of a laser facility at the scale required for energy production (Achieved 2009)
2. Ignition: Demonstration of net energy gain from fusion fuel (On target, by end of 2012)
3. LIFE demonstration: Integration of all the technologies required for a power station (Planned for mid-2020s)
4. Commercial LIFE fleet: Rollout of LIFE plants onto the electric grid (Late 2020s and beyond)

…[/font][/font]