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France to be home to first fusion reactor!

This is pretty cool. A while back, I attended an open house that let people see the tokamak fusion test reactor at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. Very impressive, looked like something you'd see in a science fiction movie.
 
About freaking time they decided.

I was starting to think the US should just fund its own independent program (aside from the NIF).
 
The article doesn't mention anything about the plant being cost effective. If I understand correctly, that was the poroblem with fusion - being able to cut costs enough to make it commercially viable.
 
Originally posted by: Argo
The article doesn't mention anything about the plant being cost effective. If I understand correctly, that was the poroblem with fusion - being able to cut costs enough to make it commercially viable.
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I don't think this one is really intended to be. Although really, it shouldn't be too hard. The main problem with fusion was getting more energy out than you put in. They reached break even a few years ago IIRC, but putting 500 MW in to get 502 MW out doesn't really do you too much good. I guess they've reached the point now where they can get a substantial amount more out than they put in, so they're testing a design. Make tweaks, build a commercial prototype, tweak and test, then start production.
 
Originally posted by: Argo
The article doesn't mention anything about the plant being cost effective. If I understand correctly, that was the poroblem with fusion - being able to cut costs enough to make it commercially viable.
Click to expand...

It takes time for any new research to become cost effective. None of the previous plants, or this one will actually produce electricity to sell. The breakthrough with ITER is that it's supposed to be the first fusion plant to produce more energy then it consumes, and actually be self sustaining unlike previous reactors where they had to pump in massive amounts of energy to get the reactor to work. The only thing is ITER was started 20 years ago and it took them that long just to decide the site so we'll see how long it takes for them to actually get going with the project.
 
Originally posted by: YetioDoom
Originally posted by: 733SHiFTY
looks like a new terrorist target to me...
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Good call. Let's never build anything.
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Ever. Especially if it's cool.

Better yet, let's demolish what we already have, just to be sure that the terrorists can't blow it up. If we don't, the terrorists have already won!
 
It's obviously being hosted in France because no one cares if that sythole becomes a big smoldering grease spot.
/P&N moment
 
BTW...on a more serious note, it sounds like the greenines don't want it built either.

EcoTerrorists ~= Real Terrorists in their anti-progress stance.
 
Originally posted by: Argo
The article doesn't mention anything about the plant being cost effective. If I understand correctly, that was the poroblem with fusion - being able to cut costs enough to make it commercially viable.
Click to expand...

I assume it won't be cost effective (considering the high cost of building it and the low time of use - 35 years. There are hydroelectric plants that produce from a hundred years (well, at least 60 years)
 
Originally posted by: 91TTZ
Originally posted by: supagold
http://www.iter.org/FAQ/EE2.htm

The ITER organization claims that they might be the first fusion plant to break even. However, we'll have to wait until 2015 to find out.
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This crap takes way too long. It's not even the science that is holding them back, it's politics.
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Kinda ironic but that's why mankind has had many of its greatest advancements during times of war.
 
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