Nuclear Fusion breakthrough

[Peter1469]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/sc...y-8590480.html


Nuclear fusion would bring cheap, safe, and clean fuel to the world.

An idyllic hilltop setting in the Cadarache forest of Provence in the south of France has become the site of an ambitious attempt to harness the nuclear power of the sun and stars.

It is the place where 34 nations representing more than half the world’s population have joined forces in the biggest scientific collaboration on the planet – only the International Space Station is bigger.

The international nuclear fusion project – known as Iter, meaning “the way” in Latin – is designed to demonstrate a new kind of nuclear reactor capable of producing unlimited supplies of cheap, clean, safe and sustainable electricity from atomic fusion.

[KC]

I got to meet one of the scientists who is currently working on Iter over Skype a few years ago. He explained the whole technology and history of the project but most of it went over my head, I haven't even taken a college level physics course.

Anyhow, it seems like a really cool idea, but my worry is that even if it gets developed, will it ever make sense for widespread use? What if it just becomes another one of these great clean energy technologies that we have no way of applying to the real world?

[Peter1469]

If they get it to work, I don't think that applying it will be an issue.

[killianr1]

As long as they don't accidently create a black hole. They believe if they do it will be so small it will have no effect and only last for milliseconds.

[nic34]

However, the daunting complexity of the Iter project is demonstrated by how long it has taken to reach this early stage of construction – and how much further it still has to go. There is at least another decade of building work and a further decade of testing before the reactor will be allowed to “go nuclear”.

Was hoping they were closer than this so the old 'fission" plants could be decommissioned permanently.... and they are too old to recommission already. What do we do for the next 20 years?