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The Potential of Fusion
Author:	Llewellyn Smith FRS, Chris, Mr David Ward
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Fusion powers the sun and stars, and is potentially an environmentally responsible and intrinsically safe source of essentially limitless energy on earth. Experiments at the Joint European Torus (JET) in the UK, which has produced 16MW of fusion power, and at other facilities, have shown that fusion can be mastered on earth. Assuming no major surprises, an orderly fusion development programme - properly organised and funded - could lead to a prototype fusion power station putting electricity into the grid within 30 years, with commercial fusion power following 10 years later. The world faces an enormous energy challenge, as a result of rising energy use, and the fact that burning fossil fuels (which currently provide 80% of primary energy) is driving potentially catastrophic climate change and, when not managed carefully, producing debilitating pollution. The response must be a cocktail of measures: we must strive to use energy more efficiently, and renewables should play role where appropriate. But there ar, in principle, only four ways of meeting a large fraction of world energy demand: continuing use of fossil fuels (as long as they last): solar power (but realising its potential requires major breakthroughs); nuclear fission; and fusion. Given the remarkable progress that has been achieved in recent decades, the authors are confident that fusion will be used as a commercial power source in the long-term. However, they are less confident that fusion will be available commercially on the time scale outlined above, as this would require adequate funding of a properly focussed and managed programme, and that there are no major surprises. However, given the magnitude of the energy challenge and the relatively small investment that is needed on the ($3 trillion pa)scale of the energy market, the authors are absolutely convinced that accelerated/fast track development of fusion would be fully-justified.

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Price:	£21.28 (£25.00 inc.)
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