Like the Sun, the question of powering an "all-electric future" keeps coming up. Some people believe renewable energy will keep pace with the slow pivot. Others think energy and resource dependency will reshape the geopolitical and economic world before our eyes. One European consortium, EuroFusion, is hooking into a possible dream solution that was considered an unsafe nightmare not long ago.
The power of the Sun! The consortium just announced a five-year concept design phase for its nuclear fusion power plant. Producing energy by throwing atoms at one another at speeds that require a degree in physics to even chart. The process is the same one present on the surface of our Sun or another star.
Like on The Simpsons? While some scientists have experimented with nuclear fusion power using tokamaks, a circular reaction. EuroFusion says its planned plant will be the largest of its kind ever built and produce 300 to 500 megawatts, feature remote maintenance innovations, and represent the next technological step in fusion power production.
Problem solved. Well, not quite. The DEMO process will not produce commercial energy until 2054 IF no setbacks occur.