A spinoff of Oxford has developed a method for inducing nuclear fusion that is practical and inexpensive. This technology is 900 times more efficient than fission and has few of it's drawbacks. It also has a much smaller footprint. Keep in mind this is just the beginning of what this technology is capable of producing, The First half is about fission so you can understand the difference. This is truly a game changer as energy costs affect nearly everything.
Oxford Scientists come up with Fusion energy, a clean alternative to Nuclear energy | WION - YouTube Oxford spinoff demonstrates world-first hypersonic "projectile fusion" (newatlas.com) (print) Another Brit Fusion plant Major breakthrough on nuclear fusion energy - BBC News - YouTube Major breakthrough on nuclear fusion energy - BBC News (print)
In the meantime - The Air Force plans to build a small nuclear power plant on Eielson Air Force Base that would generate up to half of the installation’s electricity needs. Air Force officials say the so-called microreactor is part of a pilot project to test the viability of using nuclear power to ensure military installations can continue operating after they lose their main source of electricity. (Eielson Air Force Base may have a small nuclear power plant by 2027 (ktoo.org)) Really smart idea - like this one Nuclear power plant at Fort Greely to be decommissioned | Local News | newsminer.com 'over the next 10 years" The plant started up in 1962 and was shut in in 1972.....
Nuclear power plants don't tend to like being the only power source. Typically commercial power plants run 3% to 5% enriched and the power plants run at 90% to 100% of rated output. It's on or off, no throttling. The navy can do it on subs and boats because they run highly enriched uranium and those reactor designs are much better at starting, stopping and running at partial power. They are also far more expensive to operate than commercial power designs.
Think of what we had in the 1970s and to think we were anywhere near a sustainable nuclear fusion reaction for producing electricity is laughable. We only managed to light off the first fusion boosted nuke and fusion powered bomb in 1951 and 1952. I don't even think anyone managed to light off a fusion reaction outside of a nuclear weapon that resembled anything like a controlled reaction prior to the 1990s.
IMO fusion research should have been the Apollo program of the last decade, but I think there is too much money in fossil fuels and the green swindle programs for it to be politically feasible.
The only thing that scares me a bit, is if they allow the US Army to operate the nuclear reactors! They don't have a good track record, to say the least. Check out this video: Of course, if they're smart, they'd just hire some of my US Navy brethren to operate it for them! Just make sure the base clubs order some extra libations!!
