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  Future energy sources

  Interesting thoughts re' future energy realities, and indeed the challenge is great, with politicians and bureaucrats trying to hide behind no end of useless catch phrases and gimmics. But watch what's going on at the National Ignition Facility lab in Lawrence Livermore California over the next 2 to 3 years.  Watch for the achievement of "First Ignition" of hydrogen isotopes Deuterium and Tritum using a high-powered laser... then swing to Europe, and watch what happens with the international HiPER project, which is already preparing the way to take the proof opf principle the next critical step forward towards development of fusion power generation.  No, this isn't the instant answer and, if there is a serious CO2 problem, fusion won't fix it in the next few years, simply because it will take longer than that to master the new technologies.  Obviously we need to get away from burning fossils as fast as we can educate the vast fossil-burning world out there, but that means first we must win their hearts and minds.  They are not going to stop building coal-burning power stations in China and India or driving gas-guzzling SUV's in the USA without some serious understanding of where that is leading.  Apart from the task of making billions of people (and their Governments) change their ways, there is the immediate challenge to science AND to industry.  We know that renewables can't even begin to dream of handling the electricity base-load we now need.  Right now, new fission plants have to be the answer, but as soon as fusion comes on line (either magnetic confinement or inertial confinement, or preferably both) we can leave the long-term radioactive waste problem behind.  Fusion creates radioactivity too, but only very small amounts and with a half-life around 50 years, as opposed to hundreds of thousands for fission.  ... and the levels are lower than those of hospital waste.  Something of a no-brainer in my opinion !  Remember that the atom is really just a tiny "battery".  The enormous amount of energy stored in it was put there a long time ago when it was made... in the Big Bang.  We are only slowly learning how to unlock that energy.  But we ARE getting there !  Watch the fusion story !!!  James MakepeaceOn Existing technology is faster and far more practical than hypothetical new inventions posted 1 year, 7 months ago 22 Responses