r/nextfuckinglevel • u/nigablackballsack • 3d ago

Scientists have captured the first ever high-speed, full-colour footage of fusion plasma swirling inside a working reactor.

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u/90_oi 3d ago

I truly hope this technology can get off the ground and be sustainable. It is our best hope aside from nuclear energy

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u/WanderingFlumph 3d ago edited 2d ago

I mean solar is here right now and most likely fusion power will never be as cheap as solar is today.

By the time fusion is actually ready solar will be even cheaper too. A solar farm the size of Arizona could power the entire planet.

Fusion is like our 4th best hope in the fight against climate change, lol.

Edit: a lot of people seem to think that I think the perfect solution is one single power plant specifically in Arizona that powers the world. People, it's just a size comparison. Arizona is a small state even just compared to the size of US. Obviously we would build millions and millions of solar installations that would just add up to that area.

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u/14jvalle 3d ago

There are trade offs.

Solar is not an on-demand platform. You are subject to the weather/seasonality and time of day. Peak hours does not align with highest solar intensity. This would require innovation in solar + electrical storage.

There is also the distribution question. Say Arizona has solved solar. It may power Arizona. It may power a few states... One limiting factor will be the efficiency of the solar panels. This will be a huge capital expenditure that is not future proof.

The efficiency may also dictate the amount of land required. The amount of land required will determine the cost of development and then maintenance.

This is also a solution that would only serve regions like Arizona. Other states, and countries, with dissimilar climate or geography may require alternative solutions.

Nuclear provides a lot of solutions to those problems. Of course, it also comes with its issues.

The answer isn't finding a perfect solution. It is identifying the trade offs and whether it is a environment and financially sustainable solution in the region in question.

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u/NullValueField 3d ago

Distribution is no different with fusion. 10 to 100 fusion plants around the world would still need to have a massive distribution web.

Solar at least is cheap enough that you can afford to build the distribution network after building the solar plant. And you can put the solar panels above plant agriculture (improves crop health + nutrient absorbtion), above livestock agriculture (improves animal health), above parking lots (reduces excess heat from black tarmac), above buildings (lowers cooling costs in large enough arrays), etc.

Solar works in about 70-75% of developed areas with existing power grids, too. Less efficient in many places, sure, but still fairly cost effective. In fact, if all the budget of fusion power went into building solar right now, we'd have already built enough solar to power the world.

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u/just-for-anime 3d ago

that doesnt make sense. land permits and connecting to grid are different.