Follow EarthBlips on Twitter
-
lewisglarsen Tom is absolutely right, there are probably at least one or two 'game changers' in the offing on energy, but laser-based ICF fusion probably isn't one of them. While Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has a truly great PR machine, the commercial prospects for ICF fusion don't hold-up very well under scrutiny. ICF is simply too expensive; doesn't scale down very well (if practical --- which is still unproven --- ICF fusion would only be economic for gigantic central station, grid-connected power plants); and if Deuterium-Tritium (D-T) targets are used as fuel, you are still dealing with the gnarly, unsolved engineering problem of designing power generation systems that can, for decades, efficiently and reliably harvest energy from massive fluxes of very high kinetic-energy 14 MeV neutrons that are produced by D-T fusion reactions. Not an easy task. Actually, there is a potential alternative that could turn-out to be much better than fusion technologies --- it is called low energy nuclear reactions or LENRs. I-SiS, a London, UK, 'green' environmental group has published a number of articles on LENRs.
Thomas Friedman: The Next Really Cool Thing
Peak Oil News —
... or hydrogen-powered cars are 20 years away and always will be. But what if this time is different? What if a laser-powered fusion energy power plant that would have all the reliability of coal, without the carbon dioxide, all the cleanliness of wind and solar, without having to worry about the sun not shining or the wind not blowing, and all the scale of nuclear, without all the waste, was indeed just 10 years away or less? That would be a holy cow game-changer. Are we there? New York Times
Drumbeat: March 15, 2009
The Oil Drum —
... "With the economic slowdown, a lot of coal trains across the country are parking," said Karen Kollman, director of fuels management for Wisconsin Public Service.
Power demand lower than usual this year, Kollman said, as numerous industries dial back their operations in response to cautious consumer spending. As more coal cars are taken off the tracks, it reduces rail system congestion and further lessens the need for coal cars, she said.
The Next Really Cool Thing (Tom Friedman)
Once the lab proves ...
Perfect Energy
Energy Outlook —
The recent start-up of the latest large-scale nuclear fusion experiment, the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, was greeted with the customary mix of fanfare and skepticism that has accompanied the quest for practical fusion power for as long as I have followed it, starting as a seriously nerdy child. MIT's Technology Review does a good job of describing the new facility, which will use high-powered lasers to attempt to create useful amounts of nuclear energy. But rather than focusing on the stupendous potential of ...
Perfect Energy
The Energy Collective —
The recent start-up of the latest large-scale nuclear fusion experiment, the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, was greeted with the customary mix of fanfare and skepticism that has accompanied the quest for practical fusion power for as long as I have followed it, starting as a seriously nerdy child. MIT's Technology Review does a good job of describing the new facility, which will use high-powered lasers to attempt to create useful amounts of nuclear energy. But rather than focusing on the stupendous ...
