I've been spending a lot of time recently learning about a new design for a fusion reactor that could provide cheap, clean nuclear power if it works. And from everything I've learned so far it looks like it has a pretty good chance of working! I first learned of this design when Robert Bussard, the inventor, gave a talk at Google on 2006-11-09 titled "Should Google Go Nuclear? Cheap, clean nuclear power (no really)". Here's a video of that talk:
There's also a great wikipedia article explaining the design (it has been rapidly improved since the above video was released and as more information about the design has become available on the net). This article links to two MS Word documents that Bussard uploaded to the fusor.net website; I imported them into Google docs to make them more accessible:
- A quick history of the EMC2 Polywell IEF concept
- Inertial electrostatic fusion (IEF): A clean energy future
"All -- we will be set up to receive tax deductible contributions immediately after the holidays.
In the meantime, please send me emails indicating your intent to make a contribution.
Thank you!
jim at bensonspace dot com"
Strikes me as a bit weird for a private company to accept donations like this, but it is for a worthy cause...it might be an easy way to get involved in this exciting project.
1 comment:
I would be more enthusiastic had Bussard not waxed similarly eloquently regarding a previous fusion project (the "riggatron") that nonetheless never materialised.
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