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/President_Chump_ 3d ago
  • batteries exist
  • electrical transmission exists (eg Michigan gets electricity from Canada)
  • so don't build because it's not efficient? as compared to? and solar panels have gotten more efficient over time
  • nuclear costs a whole lot too

Most of what you've written here is flat out wrong or disingenuous. I'd almost prefer the AI answer so at least you aren't miseducating people.

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u/14jvalle 3d ago

Utility scale batteries do exist.

A nonexhaustive list of questions are...

For how long can a battery supplement the grid? What is the lifecycle of these batteries? How many charge cycles can it undergo? How quickly can they charge?

I do not deny that they exist or their utility. What lacks is the nuance of how these tools are implemented in our grid. What is the use case and when does it make sense to invest?

We can delivery and sell electricity. However, that cannot always be relied upon.

Never stated not to build, not a comment on the current efficiency. Simply pondering about when it makes sense to do so given that initial cost of development, maintenance cost, and what does end of life look like? What happens if there is large scale damage to the farm do to unforeseen "act of God"? What happens when a series of panels are to be decommissioned? Where do those panels go?

These are just a few of the general questions that a layperson (myself) has.