Smaller than tokamaks and could be available by 2023 (!). It's a design by Lockheed Martin that runs on a deuterium/tritium fuel mix. It's believed that it can generate up to 100 megawatts of power. A functioning prototype is expected by 2018 and the first commercial system is expected by 2023. http://nextbigfuture.com/2013/02/new-google-solve-for-x-lockheed.html
Granny says, "Dey gonna blow up the world an' den it gonna pass away in fire an' flame like it says inna Bible... 'Critical phase' for Iter fusion dream 6 August 2013 > The world's largest bid to harness the power of fusion has entered a "critical" phase in southern France.
There is an easier way to generate limitless energy without radioactive waste, zero emissions of greenhouse gases, by using geothermal and/or geothermical energy. With that limitless natural energy source they can generate electricity and produce hydrogen as well without any danger, and way cheaper and a less difficult plant construction complexity than a fusion reactor plant. It's political that everything is turned upside down in this world, because the more problems, the more resistance is building up in the populations (people want solutions), the easier politics can organize populations.
There isn't nearly enough geothermal energy to power the world. If the US utilized 100% of its geothermal capacity it would still only amount to 5% of our current energy needs. And before you say it .......no solar can't do it either. Because the amount of irradiance energy is 250 watts per m^2 there is a limit of around 200 watts per m^2 that can be achieved using solar panels and that is if they were operating at 86% efficiency which is the theoretical limit for solar panels because of how photons work. We aren't even close to that yet as most panels are in the 20%-30% range. So no, there is absolutely no way in hell that solar, geothermal and wind will power the world into the future by themselves. The will never even provide the majority of power because of basic physics limitations.
Ahem.... "How much energy? you ask. Well, the researchers based their estimates on what current technology is able to extract – not any hypothetical future advances. Even so, it turns out that there is three million megawatts of potential geothermal energy below the surface of the United States. That’s ten times the energy of every coal plant in the United States online today." http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexkna...onfirms-vast-potential-for-geothermal-energy/ "•Wind power will expand to meet a much larger portion of U.S. energy demand. Experts at the National Renewable Energy Lab, a federal research lab, show that wind energy could supply 30 percent of the nation's electricity without any additional technologies and forthcoming studies will evaluate even higher fractions of wind on the grid." http://www.nrdc.org/energy/renewables/wind.asp "Another option is for the federal government to invest directly in solar—for example, says Ken Zweibel of George Washington University, by funding the construction of giant solar plants in the desert Southwest, along with the high-efficiency transmission lines needed to carry the power nationwide. In Zweibel's version of the future, the sun would satisfy more than two-thirds of U.S. electricity needs by 2050, for an investment of about $400 billion. "Compared to what we just paid for the financial bailout, it's pocket change," he says." http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/09/solar/carroll-text With a bit of vision...one can see into the future.
Well, Germany is slowly going OFF of wind and solar. The ROI just isn't feasible. We tried to increase the solar thing, but that just ended up lining the pockets of Obama's corporate cronies.
If we somehow manage to set aside the stupidity of partisanship...and perhaps decide to focus on the country we all supposedly love (yes that was a return jab, though I do not care much for this President), it is possible to take advantage of technology and not only become a self sufficient nation energy wise....but export the technology to increase our economic position. Unfortunately....it would seem we are far to dysfunctional politically to take advantage of this reality. Thus does China (and others), take the lead.
Lawerence-Livermore National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California has been taking fusion to its ultimate conclusion.....IGNITION which means a miniature Sun. NIF's 192 intense laser beams can deliver to a target more than 60 times the energy of any previous laser system. NIF became operational in March 2009 and is capable of directing nearly two million joules of ultraviolet laser energy in billionth-of-a-second pulses to the target chamber center. NIF's 192 laser beams travel a long path, about 1,500 meters, from their birth at the master oscillator to the center of the target chamber. As the beams move through NIF's amplifiers, their energy increases exponentially. From beginning to end, the beams' total energy grows from one-billionth of a joule to four million joules, a factor of more than a quadrillion—and it all happens in about five millionths of a second. Check it out here... https://lasers.llnl.gov/about/nif/about.php
you have made a point, that you apparently did not notice; the physics are the reason for so much ignorance, not nature or the progression of science. Look at yesterday, for example: At the moment, organic solar cells can achieve as much as 12 per cent efficiency in turning light into electricity, compared with 20 to 25 per cent for silicon-based cells. Now, researchers have discovered that manipulating the 'spin' of electrons in these solar cells dramatically improves their performance, providing a vital breakthrough in the pursuit of cheap, high performing solar power technologies. The study, by researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Washington, is published today in the journal Nature, and comes just days after scientists called on governments around the world to focus on solar energy with the same drive that put a man on the moon, calling for a "new Apollo mission to harness the sun's power." Organic solar cells replicate photosynthesis using large, carbon-based molecules to harvest sunlight instead of the inorganic semiconductors used in commercial, silicon-based solar cells. These organic cells can be very thin, light and highly flexible, as well as printed from inks similar to newspapers -- allowing for much faster and cheaper production processes than current solar cells http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130807133432.htm set a charge to the median to align the nano tubes (carbon=graphene). Then tune in the individual sheet with another wavelength, to increase the absorption efficiency. These 2 techniques came out within the last week. To suggest that fission/fussion is the best future, in the fashion of 'heating water' is about as stupid as believing the physics are correct to define nature.
You missed the point entirely. Irradiance from the sun amounts to 250 watts per m^2. That is simply not enough energy reaching the surface to be able to run everything on solar power. I am aware of the organic solar panels they have actually been around longer than that because I posted a link a couple months ago on them. I am all for the organic solar panels although I hate the regular ones for obvious reasons. Even if they manage to get to the 80% efficiency mark that still won't produce enough power to run all the commercial and industrial facilities many of which use the equivalent energy of a small town. Volvo built a 33 acre 9 MW solar panel array to power their new factory in Chattanooga and it only produces 12% of the power at peak times. That leaves 88% having to come from some other source. Factor in the massive EER mining pollution or use of hydrometallurgical mining to get metals like zinc which causes water and soil pollution to make those "environmentally safe" solar panels. The difference between high density energy sources like nuclear, NG, gas, hydrogen etc. and low density fuels was demonstrated very well in the plane that flew across the country on solar power alone. It had the wingspan of a 747 and yet the cabin was extremely tiny and its average speed was less than 30 miles an hour. Here is an excellent article that breaks down why solar and other renewables cannot run the world today much less tomorrow when we will be using even more and more energy. http://www.empiricalzeal.com/2013/04/06/solar-planes-are-cool-but-theyre-not-the-future-of-flight/ Nuclear power plants generate anywhere from 1000 to over 3000 MW of sustained energy and it doesn't disappear at night. If they have to build solar plants I hope they are at least smart enough to build the solar salt towers instead of using those silly panels. They still have to figure out how to store the energy and so far the solar salt towers are the best bet.
is a nuclear reaction, just a little sun? How about harnessing that array versus heating water? Cern itself is one of the greatest wastes of resources on the earth. photovoltaic, which is improving. What improvement is heating water from the steam engine era? and then chernobyl and the horse, is almost still a better choice, than steam generation anyone can learn how to make a solar system for their own home and store the excess in hydrogen
Why do you keep bringing up steam and horses. If you are inferring that solar is the next gen in power production you do realize that solar power has been around since the early 1800s don't you? If they can get fusion to work and that is a big if it will be the ultimate fuel source with very little waste and an abundant cheap fuel source. We are decades away from that point so fusion isn't something we should be counting on anytime soon. I have no problem with oranic solar cells on everyone's rooftop......not the metallic ones which are awful but I would love to see the organic ones. Yes the sun is the process of fusion.....we are only getting the excess waste energy that is emitted from it after it traveled millions of miles through space.
and before that with photosynthesis. Imagine that! very little waste? No such thing with nuclear fission/fussion except to note the wasted environment. so why even bring it up as the solar energy is working now and improving every day. i like the fact that technology will pass up the ignorance of the nuclear age. So far, you discount solar and lean nuclear, why? So if you like solar and fusion is like a sun (light), then why no fuse less and reap more 'light'; combine the 2 if you can make it work. Otherwise to heat water with fusion is about as stupid as heating water with fission; a waste of resources with a hugenormous negative impact to nature for the profit of centralizing utilities.
Graphene (A layer of Graphite 1 atom thick) seems to hold promise in future energy systems as well. It's properties may result in longer lasting, more efficient batteries, super capacitors, more efficient solar cells, as well as many other possible not yet known uses and applications. Electrons move through graphene incredibly fast and begin to exhibit behaviors as if they were massless, mimicking the physics that governs particles at super small scales. http://gigaom.com/2013/07/15/what-i...ut-a-material-that-could-be-the-next-silicon/
physics do not govern anything. The physics describe what is real, when they are correct. But the physics do not govern nature. What to read of that quote you clipped is that the energy upon that mass, is in wavelengths (like a per se massless photon). ie.... the resonant state encompasses the whole mass (graphene sample). It is like a hot piece of iron, versus a cold one. There are no additional electrons but there is em resonating upon the structure that is what many call 'heat'.
Wow you like to throw out strawmen alot. Heating water is trivial.......powering factories and commercial facilities CANNOT be done with renewables. That is a simple fact. Wind is to sporadic, solar is nowhere near effecient and has a maximum theoretical potential of only around 200 w/m^2. As I posted the limit of solar power was aptly demonstrated with the solar plane. It took forever to travel anywhere at an average speed of less than 30 m/h and it had to use solar panels on wings the size of a large jumbo jet to move less mass than the weight of a small private single engine plane.........at an average speed of less than 30 mph. Solar power is a low density form of energy. You conflating fusion and solar power and photosynthesis as being the same because they are related to the sun somehow is just showing how obtuse and ignorant on the subject you are. Photosynthesis uses sunlight for a chemical process, solar panels convert sunlight into electricity and fusion is producing energy by combining atoms under extreme pressures and temperatures and MAKES sunlight it doesnt happen as a result if it. Geez .......have you ever take even a gradeschool science course? Doubtful. Here educate yourself with at least the basics. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCLHl0FoTp0 Fusion has even less waste the fission and fission produces the equivalent of a nickels worth of waste per person per year. If they switched to thorium it would be even less than that. Unfortunately for us China and India are taking the lead on thorium because we still have environmental luddites who know absolutely nothing about energy prodution and usage still running around like scared girl scouts who lost their cookie order forms. "Why can't we all just get along and the world can run on sunshine and rainbows" Fortunately even environmentalists are starting to see the light and rethink nuclear after decades of poo pooing it because of their illiteracy on the subject. I suggest you watch this film... http://www.switchenergyproject.com/about/the-film Our ecology club showed it at school and everyone loved it. It comes from the point of an environmental engineer so he actually crunches the numbers instead of just offering up empty rhetoric and hyperbole like most environmentalists I know who are clueless in the science areas. I have no problem with solar panel as a supplementary source (organic not synthetic) and I have no doubt that it could even potentially produce enough power to cover most residential needs at least in areas with lots of sunlight and near the equator. It will however NEVER produce enough to meet even a simple majority of the power necessary to run commercial entities. You are always going to need a high density form of energy and its either going to be nuclear or fossil......I would much prefer nuclear.
actually I am talking in the first no sheet. And the waste of 'heating water' is from lack of number crunching. I dont use the word cannot, unless it is to suggest that idiots use the word cannot. Ok, so dont fly solar. Flying has nothing to do with nuclear, either. actually, it is because of knowing that photosynthesis or even a simple microwave is only using one wavelenth of the spectrum to do the job (680nm and 2468nm). The moron uses 'heat'. Perhaps because of people being obtuse to comprehend which wavelength does what and listening to morons that claim they know the numbers because a plane was so slow/ do tell? which quad structure is the p680 and which wavelength? which wavelength and which structures do what? ie.. the planes solar panels aint the same as what i posted on this thread, do you know why, what and what the power to weight ratio is (for each)? what range does the thorium release, in wavelengths (ie... signature)? while most were taking basics, i was doing field equations, before i had hair on my yahoos. I bet i designed my first laser and parabolic ear, before most got laid. you;ve been reading too many magazine articles shut up So what. You've done none of the research, yourself, right? high density? Store in H and O. Anyone can build an ICE engine for H/O. But idiots like the magazine articles versus actually doing the work themselves. go lay by your dish
You failed to respond to a single point in my post. All you did was ask stupid questions about wavelengths. You have nothing to back your position up at all and everyone that is reading your dribble knows it. http://gcep.stanford.edu/research/solar.html Though its potential is large, solar radiation has a relatively low energy density and is intermittent. The low energy density requires solar energy to be harvested over large areas, affecting the size and material intensity of collection systems. Modern solar energy collection devices are inefficient and expensive compared to other energy conversion technologies. These drawbacks cause direct solar energy to continue to be a minor component of the global energy system. What part of low energy density do you not get? Seriously, it isn't that complicated to grasp. I got my info about fusion waste from this site http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=121166 which has lots of discussion on this sort of stuff. I suggest that you educate yourself and read some of these threads. Warning they do go into a lot of detail for laymen like myself. Wow.......you strapped a cone to a microphone.........who hasn't done that. I will give you the laser thing as I never built one of those. Clearly you don't know much about this stuff or you wouldn't be making those absurd statements. http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/ieo/index.cfm "The International Energy Outlook 2013 (IEO2013) projects that world energy consumption will grow by 56 percent between 2010 and 2040. Total world energy use rises from 524 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu) in 2010 to 630 quadrillion Btu in 2020 and to 820 quadrillion Btu in 2040 (Figure 1). Much of the growth in energy consumption occurs in countries outside the Organization" There is simply no way in hell that renewables are going to be even able to produce most of our current energy needs much less by 2040 when people are expecting an addition 56% increase. Unlike you, I actually get my info from other sources besides environmentalist blogs and daily emails from the Earth Liberation Front.
You got to love the French sometimes. They have rare moments of boldness and brilliance, they should stick to that. Go fusion!
you must be new here in the science section. Perhaps read a bit here in this forum. Them wavelengths that you are laughing about, was enough to share that some people just dont have a clue. The p680 is the single most important structure on the earth next to water. If you read enough, right here on this forum, you will learn more on the most current science right here than you could at cern. the problem you have is selfish pride but like always, most will meet someone a bit worse. read a bit, please note that I dont play with punks
Development of fusion power is essential to providing limitless energy to the world. This doesn't mean that continuted development of renewables likesSolar, wind, geothermal, tidal, hydro aren't important and necessary. Likewise energy storage (fuel cells, etc). There are all kinds of applications and locations requiring energy sources. Fusion will provide massive amounts of cheap, clean energy. It will be essential for space exploitation (habitation, industrialization exploration, colonization)
Sad thing is it appears you are serious. I shall defer to your obvious expertise in selfish pride. please note that most punks don't play with arrogant, rude, pseudo-intellectuals.
