nuclear fusion, the magic bullet?

**bob10** · 1st January 2014, 08:03 AM

Is fusion the answer to clean energy production? Bob

One giant leap for mankind: £13bn Iter project makes breakthrough in the quest for nuclear fusion, a solution to climate change and an age of clean, cheap energy - Science - News - The Independent

**JDNSW** · 1st January 2014, 08:55 AM

We may know in ten or twenty years. Fusion has been promising to be the solution to energy since before I was born!

John

**bob10** · 1st January 2014, 09:02 AM

Somehow it makes me nervous that they are attempting to replicate the power of the sun, on Earth. [ that's how I see it, probably wrong] But, they know what they are doing.....Bob

**bee utey** · 1st January 2014, 09:06 AM

The prototype will be ready in 10-20 years. Then they can start to think about building a working one. Cost overruns anyone?

In the meantime the world can be powered by plastering a few deserts with solar thermal plants and connecting them with superconducting DC cables to where the energy is consumed.

**Pinelli** · 1st January 2014, 09:12 AM

Originally Posted by bee utey

The prototype will be ready in 10-20 years. Then they can start to think about building a working one. Cost overruns anyone? In the meantime the world can be powered by plastering a few deserts with solar thermal plants and connecting them with superconducting DC cables to where the energy is consumed.

You make it sound do easy! :P

**Mick_Marsh** · 1st January 2014, 10:32 AM

For Australia, a distributed solar networks is the way to go as long as we have a suitable way to store the energy collected through the day to be used at night. Oh and a spattering of other technologies such as "hot rock" and that rather interesting one using the heat trapped under the coal seams out in eastern Victoria. That would supply the states base load.

**Slunnie** · 1st January 2014, 10:49 AM

Originally Posted by Mick_Marsh

For Australia, a distributed solar networks is the way to go as long as we have a suitable way to store the energy collected through the day to be used at night. Oh and a spattering of other technologies such as "hot rock" and that rather interesting one using the heat trapped under the coal seams out in eastern Victoria. That would supply the states base load.

If its green I'd expect it wont go ahead anymore.

**superquag** · 1st January 2014, 11:21 AM

And we think that Vested Interests are going to sit back and applaud all of this happening ?

**jspyle** · 1st January 2014, 11:35 AM

I was watching something about this on SBS the other night.
https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/nif/about.php

**Pinelli** · 1st January 2014, 11:40 AM

Originally Posted by Mick_Marsh

For Australia, a distributed solar networks is the way to go as long as we have a suitable way to store the energy collected through the day to be used at night. Oh and a spattering of other technologies such as "hot rock" and that rather interesting one using the heat trapped under the coal seams out in eastern Victoria. That would supply the states base load.

I do like this idea, but it's really a lot more complex than it sounds. Storage can be done in a number of ways such as hydroelectric dams, hydrogen storage (from electrolysis) and so on, but the distribution can be difficult to manage. As it is, distribution networks are having to be upgraded to handle large scale installation of domestic solar systems. It's the economics here that would need to be carefully investigated, versus the economics of nuclear power, which is also marginal while coal is so cheap.
I'm also not sure that Australia is geologically active enough for geothermal to provide widespread base load. Happy to be proven otherwise, though, if it has been investigated!

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